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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · roll · content · clip · lash · land · deal · mug

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. content — the amount
  3. clip — for paper
  4. deal — to handle
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. mug — to rob
  8. content — happy
  9. land — ground
  10. roll — a cake
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. clip — a video
  13. land — to come down
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. clip — to cut
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. mug — a cup
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. band — a music group
  21. land — a country
  22. mug — a face
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. band — a rubber band

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