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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 120 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. drill — a practice
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. club — for golf
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. shower — to wash
  9. row — to paddle
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. tube — a container
  12. drill — the tool
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. shower — rain
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. club — a group
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. drill — army training
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. tube — the underground
  24. club — for dancing

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