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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 120 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: cabinet · field · mine · bowl · tube · scale · arm · mate

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. mate — a partner
  4. scale — in music
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. field — a subject
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. field — farmland
  15. tube — the underground
  16. scale — size or range
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. field — for sport
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. tube — a container

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