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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. field — for sport
  4. press — newspapers
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. press — to push
  7. field — a subject
  8. file — a line of people
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. ground — a position
  12. land — ground
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. press — a publisher
  15. field — farmland
  16. file — a tool
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. land — to come down
  19. ground — crushed
  20. tube — a container
  21. ground — the earth
  22. tube — the underground
  23. file — a document
  24. land — a country

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