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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: board · tube · hide · pitcher · key · rash · dip · tear

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. tube — a container
  4. key — for a lock
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. rash — a series
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. key — in music
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to sink
  15. board — to get on
  16. rash — hasty
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. tear — from crying
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. key — the most important part
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. board — a committee

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