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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: band · lash · tube · mate · content · saw · bass · cell

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. tube — the underground
  6. saw — the tool
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. band — a music group
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bass — the fish
  14. content — happy
  15. band — a ring
  16. mate — a friend
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. tube — a container
  24. cell — in a prison

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