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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — of a river
  6. degree — from a university
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. tube — a container
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. content — happy
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. content — the amount
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. bank — for money
  20. degree — an amount
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — a permit
  23. degree — temperature
  24. wave — with your hand

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