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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tube · arm · scale · squash · chip · court · foot · band

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. tube — the underground
  5. band — a music group
  6. squash — to crush
  7. court — for sport
  8. tube — a container
  9. band — a ring
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. court — of a king
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. squash — the sport
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. court — of law
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. chip — for betting
  18. foot — a measure
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. chip — to eat
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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