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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — to rob
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. field — a subject
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. squash — the sport
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — a division
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. squash — to crush
  17. tube — the underground
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. saw — the tool
  21. field — farmland
  22. stand — to bear
  23. tube — a container
  24. field — for sport

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