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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: rule · tube · rest · snap · lie · band · bass · mug

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bass — low music
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. mug — a cup
  6. rule — a law
  7. tube — the underground
  8. lie — to recline
  9. tube — a container
  10. bass — the fish
  11. rest — what's left
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mug — to rob
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rest — a break
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. mug — a face
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. band — a ring
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — government
  24. tube — in a tire

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