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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.

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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 · snap · pound · bank · mine · pitch · tube · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bank — of a river
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. tube — the underground
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bank — for money
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. tube — a container
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bank — for money
  21. board — a committee
  22. pitch — completely
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. arm — part of the body

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