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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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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: charge · tube · hand · track · toast · land · straw · arm

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. charge — electricity
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. land — ground
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. land — to come down
  14. hand — in cards
  15. charge — a price
  16. charge — in control
  17. track — a path
  18. track — a song
  19. land — a country
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. track — to keep track
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. hand — help
  24. arm — part of the body

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