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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: lie · tube · temple · kid · band · swing · saw · dip

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. tube — the underground
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. kid — child
  7. swing — to play on
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. tube — a container
  10. saw — the tool
  11. dip — to sink
  12. band — a ring
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. band — a music group
  16. lie — to recline
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. saw — the tool
  20. swing — in golf
  21. kid — to tease
  22. swing — music
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. lie — an untruth

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