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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. tube — a container
  8. branch — a division
  9. spell — magic
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. tube — the underground
  16. spell — a short time
  17. stand — to bear
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. field — for sport
  22. spell — letters
  23. field — farmland
  24. pit — in a race

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