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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. field — a subject
  3. press — to push
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — the tool
  6. track — a path
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — a container
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. field — farmland
  14. track — a song
  15. drill — a practice
  16. press — a publisher
  17. field — for sport
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. board — to get on
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. track — to keep track
  23. board — a committee
  24. press — newspapers

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