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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: wave · tube · hand · lie · net · bat · arm · face

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. hand — in cards
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. net — in sport
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. net — after costs
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. net — for catching
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. hand — help
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. bat — the animal
  19. face — to confront
  20. tube — a container
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. lie — to recline
  24. tube — the underground

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