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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 120 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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — farmland
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wake — a trail
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. mate — a partner
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. foot — a measure
  17. mate — a friend
  18. plane — a tool
  19. field — for sport
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. mate — to breed
  24. lie — to recline

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