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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 120 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: cabinet · rest · tube · foot · wound · hand · track · bear

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. track — a song
  5. bear — the animal
  6. foot — a measure
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wound — an injury
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. tube — a container
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. track — to keep track
  15. tube — the underground
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. wound — an injury
  18. track — a path
  19. rest — what's left
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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