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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. season — of the year
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bank — for money
  8. net — in sport
  9. season — in sport
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bank — of a river
  12. net — for catching
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bank — for money
  15. field — for sport
  16. tube — a container
  17. march — music
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. march — the month
  20. field — a subject
  21. net — after costs
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. march — the month
  24. field — farmland

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