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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.

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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: cap · band · tube · sharp · arm · firm · ball · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. ball — a great time
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. cap — a lid
  8. band — a ring
  9. tube — a container
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. ball — a dance
  12. cap — of ice
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — decided
  15. sharp — clever
  16. band — a music group
  17. cap — a hat
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. firm — steady
  21. tube — the underground
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. tube — in a tire

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