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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. field — for sport
  4. can — to be able to
  5. tube — the underground
  6. press — to push
  7. field — farmland
  8. craft — boats
  9. tube — a container
  10. can — a tin
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — hurry
  14. press — newspapers
  15. can — a tin
  16. roll — a list
  17. craft — a skill
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. press — a publisher

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