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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: land · deal · arm · track · face · tube · rash · mark

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. land — a country
  4. tube — a container
  5. mark — a trace
  6. track — to keep track
  7. land — ground
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rash — hasty
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mark — a grade
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. face — to confront
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. track — a path
  17. land — to come down
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — part of the head
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. rash — a series

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