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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.

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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 · rash · band · hide · foot · tube · ball · cell

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. tube — a container
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. tube — the underground
  8. rash — a series
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. rash — hasty
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. band — a ring
  18. cell — in biology
  19. foot — a measure
  20. band — a music group
  21. ball — a dance
  22. cell — a phone
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. band — a rubber band

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