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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 116 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: row · lash · current · tube · cell · craft · face · band

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. tube — the underground
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in biology
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. row — a line
  9. craft — boats
  10. band — a music group
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. current — electric
  13. tube — a container
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. current — of water
  16. craft — a skill
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. row — to paddle
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to point toward
  22. band — a ring
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. current — happening now

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