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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: tube · pitcher · chip · cold · bass · lie · arm · stem

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. tube — the underground
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. chip — for betting
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. bass — low music
  13. chip — to eat
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cold — not warm
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bass — the fish
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. cold — an illness
  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