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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: saw · content · cell · band · tube · rash · hand · lie

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — a container
  4. rash — a series
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. band — a music group
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. content — happy
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. content — the amount
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. band — a ring
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rash — hasty
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. hand — help
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. lie — to recline
  24. cell — in biology

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