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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: rash · roll · trunk · game · arm · band · track · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. hand — in cards
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. roll — a cake
  10. track — a path
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. rash — a series
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. hand — help
  15. track — a song
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a ring
  18. track — to keep track
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. roll — a list
  21. game — a match
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. rash — hasty
  24. game — wild animals

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