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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. branch — a division
  3. field — farmland
  4. bass — low music
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. club — for golf
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. tube — a container
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — a group
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. chest — of your body
  16. toast — bread
  17. bass — the fish
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. field — a subject
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bowl — to roll

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