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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. wake — a trail
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. tube — the underground
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. tube — a container
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — a subject
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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