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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 · nail · rest · tube · content · tear · trunk · last

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. last — to go on
  3. content — the amount
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. tube — a container
  11. rest — a break
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. tear — to rip
  15. rest — what's left
  16. last — finally
  17. tear — from crying
  18. content — happy
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. tear — from crying
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. rest — what's left
  23. last — final
  24. nail — for a hammer

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