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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. field — farmland
  6. lean — thin
  7. field — for sport
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. lean — to bend
  10. rash — hasty
  11. track — to keep track
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wake — a trail
  14. track — a path
  15. rash — a series
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. tube — the underground
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. saw — the tool
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. tube — a container
  23. field — a subject
  24. track — a song

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