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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 · last · track · deal · arm · cap · wound · clip

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. last — to go on
  3. clip — a video
  4. wound — an injury
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. track — to keep track
  8. deal — to handle
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. last — finally
  12. tube — a container
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. wound — an injury
  15. track — a song
  16. clip — for paper
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. last — final
  19. tube — the underground
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. track — a path
  22. cap — a lid
  23. clip — to cut
  24. cap — of ice

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