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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. last — finally
  3. field — farmland
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. field — for sport
  8. rush — hurry
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bank — for money
  11. tube — a container
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bank — of a river
  14. sharp — clever
  15. last — to go on
  16. field — a subject
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. last — final
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. tube — the underground
  22. row — a line
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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