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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. hand — help
  6. spell — a short time
  7. field — farmland
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cue — for pool
  10. vault — a safe
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. lean — to bend
  13. spell — magic
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cue — a signal
  18. lean — thin
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. cue — a hint
  22. fork — in a road
  23. spell — letters
  24. tube — the underground

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