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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: dip · tear · lie · band · cabinet · wake · content · lash

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — happy
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. dip — to sink
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. band — a ring
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. lie — to recline
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. tear — to rip
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. band — a music group
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. tear — from crying

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