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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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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 · foot · bear · arm · bowl · tube · pop · deal

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. tube — a container
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — a measure
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pop — soda
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pop — to visit
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. bear — the animal
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. land — to come down
  16. bear — the animal
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pop — music
  19. deal — to handle
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bowl — to roll

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