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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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Word bank
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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. craft — a skill
  3. tube — the underground
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mine — for digging
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. field — a subject
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. band — a music group
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. tube — a container
  13. field — for sport
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. field — farmland
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. band — a ring
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. craft — boats

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