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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: tube · bowl · bay · staff · degree · arm · drill · row

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. tube — a container
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. staff — employees
  5. degree — from a university
  6. tube — the underground
  7. degree — temperature
  8. row — a line
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. row — to paddle
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. staff — a stick
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. drill — army training
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. drill — a practice
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bay — a horse colour

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