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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. tube — a container
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. tube — the underground
  8. field — a subject
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — a tool
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. spring — the season
  14. cell — a phone
  15. roll — a cake
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. net — after costs
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — a coil
  20. craft — a skill
  21. roll — a list
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — in sport
  24. craft — boats

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