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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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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: land · fan · field · season · cue · rest · wake · tube

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. season — in sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rest — a break
  6. tube — a container
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. cue — a signal
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. season — of the year
  14. rest — what's left
  15. land — ground
  16. rest — what's left
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — for pool
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. field — for sport
  22. tube — the underground
  23. field — a subject
  24. wake — before a funeral

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