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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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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: bound · tube · scale · present · arm · tear · lash · mouse

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. present — there
  3. bound — obliged
  4. scale — in music
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. scale — size or range
  7. present — a gift
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. tear — to rip
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. present — the time now
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bound — tied together
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. tube — a container
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bound — certain
  20. tear — from crying
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. tube — the underground
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. arm — a part of something

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