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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: arm · spring · fork · rash · present · saw · bowl · tube

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. saw — the tool
  5. present — the time now
  6. rash — hasty
  7. spring — a coil
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. present — a gift
  13. spring — the season
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. fork — in a road
  16. rash — a series
  17. tube — the underground
  18. present — there
  19. saw — the tool
  20. spring — of water
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. fork — a garden tool

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