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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 120 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: present · tube · swing · saw · cap · lie · band · stem

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. stem — to come from
  5. band — a ring
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. present — the time now
  8. saw — the tool
  9. present — a gift
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. saw — the tool
  12. present — there
  13. tube — a container
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. swing — to play on
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. tube — the underground
  18. cap — a hat
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — in golf
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — of ice
  23. lie — to recline
  24. band — a music group

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