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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: arm · wake · tube · ball · coach · firm · scale · clip

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. ball — a great time
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. clip — to cut
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. clip — a video
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wake — a trail
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. firm — steady
  12. scale — size or range
  13. tube — a container
  14. firm — a company
  15. firm — decided
  16. scale — in music
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. ball — a dance
  22. clip — for paper
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. tube — the underground

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