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

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. field — a subject
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. stem — to come from
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. pit — in a race
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. content — happy
  12. field — farmland
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. toast — bread
  16. field — for sport
  17. content — the amount
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pit — a hole
  20. tube — a container
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. plane — a tool
  24. toast — the most admired

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