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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mine · tube · fall · can · rash · clip · chest · file

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. tube — a container
  3. chest — a box
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — a series
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. can — to be able to
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a tool
  11. fall — the season
  12. mine — for digging
  13. fall — to drop
  14. file — a line of people
  15. clip — a video
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rash — hasty
  19. can — a tin
  20. clip — for paper
  21. can — a tin
  22. fall — to drop
  23. clip — to cut
  24. tube — the underground

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