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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. tube — a container
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. stem — to come from
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. field — for sport
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. field — a subject
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. branch — a division
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. ball — a dance
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. pit — in a race
  20. field — farmland
  21. pit — a hole
  22. tube — the underground
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. ball — a round shape

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