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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
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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: rash · tube · staff · hand · pound · degree · arm · march

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. march — the month
  3. degree — temperature
  4. staff — employees
  5. rash — a series
  6. tube — the underground
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. pound — a weight
  10. rash — hasty
  11. staff — a stick
  12. tube — a container
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. march — the month
  16. hand — help
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. degree — from a university
  20. march — music
  21. staff — employees
  22. degree — an amount
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. tube — in a tire

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