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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 120 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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. bank — for money
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. tear — to rip
  10. field — farmland
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. key — in music
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. tear — from crying
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. tube — a container
  22. key — for a lock
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bowl — to roll

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