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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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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 · rest · tube · wake · rule · craft · chair · kid

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. tube — a container
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. tube — the underground
  9. kid — to tease
  10. rule — a law
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. chair — a leader
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. rest — a break
  18. craft — boats
  19. rest — what's left
  20. craft — a skill
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wake — a trail
  23. rule — government
  24. kid — child

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