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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. mug — to rob
  3. field — a subject
  4. tube — a container
  5. saw — the tool
  6. field — for sport
  7. track — a path
  8. mug — a cup
  9. spring — the season
  10. tube — the underground
  11. staff — employees
  12. mug — a face
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. drill — army training
  17. staff — employees
  18. drill — the tool
  19. track — to keep track
  20. staff — a stick
  21. track — a song
  22. spring — a coil
  23. drill — a practice
  24. spring — of water

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