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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: pitcher · march · tube · lash · saw · lie · present · band

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. tube — a container
  3. present — the time now
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. present — there
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. band — a ring
  13. lie — to recline
  14. present — a gift
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. tube — the underground
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a music group
  24. saw — the tool

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