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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. field — farmland
  4. tube — the underground
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bear — the animal
  10. stock — shares
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. field — for sport
  20. cell — a phone
  21. stock — goods
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bear — the animal
  24. field — a subject

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