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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: tube · pass · fine · field · squash · saw · staff · cap

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. fine — high quality
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. squash — the sport
  12. tube — a container
  13. field — for sport
  14. staff — employees
  15. cap — a lid
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — all right
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. cap — of ice
  20. pass — a permit
  21. staff — employees
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — farmland
  24. cap — a hat

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