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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · field · saw · bear · sharp · ruler · wind · tube

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. tube — the underground
  3. field — for sport
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. sharp — clever
  6. ball — a great time
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bear — the animal
  9. field — farmland
  10. ball — a dance
  11. wind — moving air
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bear — the animal
  14. field — a subject
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. tube — a container
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bear — to put up with

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