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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.

Make a worksheet

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: tube · coach · foot · arm · cold · track · wax · march

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  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. foot — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. tube — a container
  4. march — the month
  5. foot — a measure
  6. tube — the underground
  7. track — a path
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. cold — an illness
  13. track — a song
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. march — music
  16. track — to keep track
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. march — the month
  22. wax — to grow
  23. cold — not warm
  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