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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: tube · scale · wound · ball · cell · foot · arm · clip

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — a phone
  4. ball — a great time
  5. scale — size or range
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. tube — the underground
  8. clip — a video
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. clip — to cut
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. ball — a dance
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. clip — for paper
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. scale — in music
  22. tube — a container
  23. foot — a measure
  24. scale — for weighing

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