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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 116 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. rest — what's left
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. board — a committee
  6. field — farmland
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. stock — shares
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rest — what's left
  11. board — to get on
  12. tube — a container
  13. dip — to sink
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. wind — moving air
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. field — a subject
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rest — a break
  21. field — for sport
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. stock — goods

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