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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: arm · deal · band · wake · mate · tube · content · hide

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. band — a ring
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. mate — a friend
  9. wake — a trail
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — happy
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. mate — a partner
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. tube — the underground
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. tube — a container
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. deal — to handle

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