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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 116 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. craft — boats
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. spring — the season
  5. firm — decided
  6. field — for sport
  7. craft — a skill
  8. can — to be able to
  9. net — in sport
  10. can — a tin
  11. tube — a container
  12. net — for catching
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. tube — the underground
  16. field — a subject
  17. net — after costs
  18. firm — steady
  19. firm — a company
  20. spring — of water
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. spring — a coil
  24. field — farmland

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