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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · tube · charge · mine · kid · race · lie · bear

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. mine — for digging
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. tube — the underground
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. race — humankind
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. race — the arms race
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bear — the animal
  14. charge — a price
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. charge — electricity
  17. kid — to tease
  18. tube — a container
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bear — the animal
  21. kid — child
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. race — a contest
  24. charge — in control

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com