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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: net · lie · bay · band · rush · tube · pitcher · chest

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. net — in sport
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a music group
  7. tube — a container
  8. band — a ring
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. chest — a box
  20. tube — the underground
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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