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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. suit — in cards
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bank — of a river
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. suit — to fit
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bank — for money
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bank — for money
  17. mark — a trace
  18. content — happy
  19. field — for sport
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. suit — clothes
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — not warm
  24. content — the amount

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