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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. tube — a container
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. band — a music group
  5. perch — the fish
  6. tube — the underground
  7. band — a ring
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to drill
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. field — a subject
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. stem — to come from
  18. field — for sport
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bore — to tire
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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