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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. rest — a break
  3. tube — the underground
  4. plane — a tool
  5. bank — for money
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — to breed
  8. club — a group
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. rest — what's left
  11. tube — a container
  12. club — for dancing
  13. rest — what's left
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. field — a subject
  16. bank — of a river
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. mate — a friend
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. club — for golf
  22. field — farmland
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bank — for money

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