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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. tube — the underground
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. field — for sport
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — to bend
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. lean — thin
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — clever
  15. field — a subject
  16. tube — a container
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. cell — a phone
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. field — farmland
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — to drill

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