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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: rash · chest · stick · pit · tube · bore · rock · last

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rock — music
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. last — final
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — a stone
  11. tube — a container
  12. bore — to tire
  13. pit — in a race
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. tube — the underground
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pit — a hole

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