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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 124 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. spring — the season
  3. field — a subject
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. branch — a division
  6. tube — the underground
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chip — to eat
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. pit — in a race
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. field — farmland
  14. toast — bread
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. pit — a hole
  23. chip — for betting
  24. tube — a container

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