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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 116 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: mug · band · game · tube · ball · spring · lash · dip

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. band — a ring
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. dip — to sink
  8. tube — the underground
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. game — a match
  12. mug — a cup
  13. game — wild animals
  14. spring — the season
  15. band — a music group
  16. spring — of water
  17. mug — a face
  18. ball — a dance
  19. tube — a container
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mug — to rob

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