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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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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: kick · can · band · tube · rule · lash · wave · arm

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. band — a music group
  4. rule — government
  5. tube — the underground
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. tube — a container
  8. can — a tin
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. kick — in football
  16. can — to be able to
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. rule — a law
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. can — a tin
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. arm — part of the body

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