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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. hand — help
  4. tube — a container
  5. field — a subject
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. current — of water
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. current — happening now
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. current — electric
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. field — for sport
  16. stand — to bear
  17. field — farmland
  18. hand — in cards
  19. prune — to trim
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. prune — to trim

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