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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.

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: mug · chip · tube · fork · snap · bore · field · bass

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. snap — to click
  3. chip — to eat
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. mug — to rob
  6. field — for sport
  7. fork — in a road
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. field — farmland
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bore — to drill
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — a face
  14. tube — a container
  15. bore — to tire
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bass — low music
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — in a tire

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