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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: capital · tube · pitcher · row · mate · saw · staff · arm

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. tube — a container
  3. mate — a partner
  4. saw — the tool
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. row — to paddle
  7. mate — a friend
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. mate — to breed
  12. tube — the underground
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. staff — employees
  15. row — a line
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. capital — money
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. capital — a city
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. capital — a big letter

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