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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 · bowl · wax · deal · cap · wound · tube · fork

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. wound — an injury
  9. tube — a container
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. deal — to handle
  20. fork — in a road
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. tube — the underground
  24. fork — a garden tool

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