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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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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: hide · squash · hand · arm · bass · foot · tube · wound

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. tube — a container
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wound — an injury
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. wound — an injury
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bass — the fish
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bass — low music
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. tube — the underground
  23. squash — to crush
  24. hand — help

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