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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: dip · mate · tube · hide · band · mug · club · race

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. mate — a partner
  4. tube — the underground
  5. mug — a face
  6. dip — to sink
  7. club — for dancing
  8. race — a contest
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. band — a ring
  11. club — a group
  12. mug — a cup
  13. race — the arms race
  14. mate — to breed
  15. club — for golf
  16. mate — a friend
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. race — humankind
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. band — a music group
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mug — to rob
  24. tube — a container

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