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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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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: cell · club · arm · toast · file · band · lash · mark

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a ring
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. file — a document
  6. cell — a phone
  7. toast — bread
  8. club — for dancing
  9. file — a line of people
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. club — a group
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. cell — in biology
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. club — for golf
  18. file — a tool
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — a grade

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