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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
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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: land · nail · wound · degree · tube · arm · foot · cue

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. land — a country
  3. foot — a measure
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. cue — a hint
  8. land — ground
  9. cue — for pool
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — from a university
  13. cue — a signal
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. tube — the underground
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. degree — temperature
  18. land — to come down
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wound — an injury
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. nail — on a finger

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