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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · tube · can · straw · kid · toast · arm · spell

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — magic
  4. tube — a container
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. land — ground
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — child
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. spell — letters
  11. land — to come down
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. land — a country
  14. tube — the underground
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. kid — to tease
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. can — a tin
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. can — a tin
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. toast — bread
  24. can — to be able to

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