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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: nail · staff · cell · stick · race · tube · saw · field

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cell — in biology
  4. saw — the tool
  5. staff — employees
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. field — for sport
  8. tube — a container
  9. field — a subject
  10. staff — a stick
  11. tube — the underground
  12. field — farmland
  13. race — humankind
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. race — a contest
  17. saw — the tool
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cell — a phone
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. race — the arms race
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. staff — employees

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