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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: foot · arm · file · tear · track · club · spring · tube

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. spring — of water
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — for golf
  5. spring — a coil
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. spring — the season
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a document
  11. tear — to rip
  12. foot — a measure
  13. tube — a container
  14. file — a tool
  15. tube — the underground
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. tear — from crying
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. club — a group
  20. tear — from crying
  21. track — to keep track
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. tube — in a tire

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