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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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: tube · key · lash · ground · band · clip · content · bat

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. clip — a video
  3. content — the amount
  4. ground — a position
  5. band — a music group
  6. key — in music
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. content — happy
  10. tube — the underground
  11. clip — for paper
  12. key — the most important part
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. tube — a container
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — the earth
  18. band — a ring
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bat — the animal
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. clip — to cut
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. key — for a lock

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