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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. march — the month
  5. field — a subject
  6. lean — to bend
  7. march — the month
  8. lean — thin
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. tube — a container
  11. field — for sport
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. ball — a great time
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. tube — the underground
  18. field — farmland
  19. march — music
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. tube — in a tire

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