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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: bat · rash · board · arm · tube · mate · prune · face

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mate — to breed
  5. prune — to trim
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. mate — a partner
  8. face — part of the head
  9. tube — the underground
  10. board — a committee
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bat — the animal
  14. tube — a container
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. mate — a friend
  18. rash — hasty
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. face — to confront
  22. rash — a series
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. prune — to trim

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