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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. track — a song
  10. lean — thin
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. ball — a dance
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — a container
  20. lean — to bend
  21. ball — a great time
  22. sharp — clever
  23. branch — a division
  24. lean — to rest against

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