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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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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: safe · tube · chip · degree · press · lash · tear · stick

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. chip — for betting
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. tube — a container
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. press — newspapers
  12. tube — the underground
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. press — to push
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. tear — to rip
  21. degree — from a university
  22. press — a publisher
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. chip — to eat

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