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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: arm · band · present · tube · jam · bound · race · scale

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. tube — the underground
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. present — the time now
  5. race — a contest
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. race — humankind
  8. band — a music group
  9. tube — a container
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bound — tied together
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. present — a gift
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a ring
  16. bound — obliged
  17. race — the arms race
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. bound — certain
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. scale — in music
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. present — there

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