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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: stand · bound · swing · file · lash · tube · lie · mug

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. swing — to play on
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. swing — music
  6. lie — to recline
  7. mug — a face
  8. bound — tied together
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. tube — a container
  13. mug — a cup
  14. tube — the underground
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — to bear
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mug — to rob
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. file — a tool
  24. swing — in golf

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