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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 · straw · key · degree · field · ruler · arm · spell

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. degree — from a university
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. tube — a container
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. tube — the underground
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. degree — an amount
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. spell — magic
  12. key — the most important part
  13. degree — temperature
  14. spell — letters
  15. field — farmland
  16. key — in music
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. key — for a lock
  19. field — a subject
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. spell — a short time
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. field — for sport
  24. ruler — a monarch

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