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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. field — a subject
  3. can — a tin
  4. spring — of water
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — the fruit
  8. spring — the season
  9. can — a tin
  10. field — farmland
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. tube — the underground
  14. field — for sport
  15. spell — a short time
  16. can — to be able to
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bore — to tire
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bore — to drill
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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