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

Word bank: tube · arm · drill · pound · chest · rest

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rest — a break
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rest — what's left
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. chest — of your body
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. chest — a box
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. drill — army training
  18. tube — a container

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