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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: lie · tube · season · scale · suit · arm · mine · saw

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. season — of the year
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. saw — the tool
  6. season — in sport
  7. suit — clothes
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. mine — for digging
  11. suit — in cards
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. suit — to fit
  19. tube — the underground
  20. saw — the tool
  21. tube — a container
  22. scale — in music
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

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