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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. tube — the underground
  3. land — a country
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rock — a stone
  8. vault — a safe
  9. field — farmland
  10. cap — a hat
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. land — to come down
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. stem — to come from
  18. tube — a container
  19. rock — music
  20. cap — a lid
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. land — ground
  23. cap — of ice
  24. stem — a stem cell

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