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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · bowl · jam · band · arm · tube · fine · chest

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. band — a music group
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. fine — all right
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fine — high quality
  13. tube — the underground
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. tube — a container
  16. chest — a box
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. chest — of your body
  19. spring — of water
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. band — a ring

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