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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. current — of water
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. scale — size or range
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. stem — to come from
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. current — electric
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. current — happening now
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. tube — the underground
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. field — a subject
  19. scale — in music
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. deal — to handle
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. scale — for weighing

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