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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: land · straw · scale · arm · tube · mine

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. tube — the underground
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. scale — in music
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. land — to come down
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mine — for digging
  14. scale — size or range
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. mine — an explosive

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