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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: wind · mug · arm · craft · tube · bound · court · kick

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bound — obliged
  6. court — of law
  7. kick — in football
  8. craft — a skill
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mug — a face
  12. wind — moving air
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bound — tied together
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. court — for sport
  17. bound — certain
  18. mug — to rob
  19. court — of a king
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. tube — a container
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mug — a cup
  24. kick — a thrill

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