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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 124 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: lash · charge · bay · roll · hand · tube · mate · chest

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. roll — a list
  3. charge — in control
  4. chest — of your body
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. chest — a box
  9. hand — in cards
  10. charge — a price
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. hand — help
  13. chest — of your body
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. mate — a partner
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. tube — the underground
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. tube — a container
  20. mate — a friend
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. charge — electricity
  24. mate — to breed

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