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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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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: foot · chest · fan · fork · tube · stick · lash · wake

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. chest — a box
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. tube — the underground
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fork — in a road
  12. wake — a trail
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. chest — of your body
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. foot — a measure
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. tube — a container

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