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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: mine · tube · dip · roll · wound · face · arm · track

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. roll — a list
  3. wound — an injury
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. track — to keep track
  7. roll — a cake
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. mine — for digging
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wound — an injury
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. face — to confront
  19. tube — a container
  20. track — a song
  21. tube — the underground
  22. track — a path
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. dip — to sink

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