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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 116 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's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. tube — the underground
  5. charge — in control
  6. tube — a container
  7. file — a tool
  8. wake — a trail
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. file — a line of people
  13. field — for sport
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. charge — a price
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. charge — electricity
  19. file — a document
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — a sauce
  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