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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: lash · chest · mug · tube · pitcher · content · arm · hand

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a face
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — a container
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. content — happy
  9. tube — the underground
  10. chest — of your body
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — in cards
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. mug — a cup
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. content — the amount

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