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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. tube — a container
  3. key — for a lock
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. field — farmland
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. field — for sport
  8. chip — for betting
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. snap — to click
  11. key — the most important part
  12. tube — the underground
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bank — for money
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. key — in music
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bank — for money
  19. squash — the sport
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bank — of a river
  22. squash — to crush
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. leaves — to go away

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