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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. chip — to eat
  4. pop — soda
  5. field — for sport
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. pop — music
  9. saw — the tool
  10. chip — for betting
  11. field — farmland
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. saw — the tool
  16. tube — the underground
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — to bear
  19. foot — a measure
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. pop — to visit
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. branch — a division

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