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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: stick · field · suit · mine · row · jam · tube · rush

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. row — to paddle
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. suit — to fit
  6. tube — a container
  7. rush — hurry
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. suit — in cards
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. field — for sport
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. suit — clothes
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. field — a subject
  21. tube — the underground
  22. field — farmland
  23. row — a line
  24. mine — for digging

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