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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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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: mine · tube · arm · race · deal · fork · scale · current

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. current — happening now
  3. scale — size or range
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. tube — the underground
  6. mine — for digging
  7. deal — to handle
  8. current — electric
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. scale — in music
  11. race — a contest
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. race — the arms race
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. fork — in a road
  22. current — of water
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. race — humankind

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