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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — high quality
  5. cap — a lid
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — music
  9. tube — a container
  10. field — for sport
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. field — farmland
  15. pop — soda
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. plane — a tool
  21. fine — all right
  22. cap — of ice
  23. field — a subject
  24. cap — a hat

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