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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: pop · lash · march · foot · last · club · kid · tube

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. pop — soda
  3. march — music
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. pop — to visit
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. last — final
  10. pop — music
  11. kid — to tease
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. march — the month
  15. tube — a container
  16. foot — a measure
  17. tube — the underground
  18. march — the month
  19. club — for golf
  20. last — finally
  21. club — for dancing
  22. last — to go on
  23. kid — child
  24. club — a group

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