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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: lean · toast · stick · field · board · tube · cue · swing

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. tube — a container
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. toast — bread
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. swing — music
  9. lean — thin
  10. board — to get on
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. cue — a signal
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. swing — in golf
  16. cue — a hint
  17. tube — the underground
  18. cue — for pool
  19. board — a committee
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. lean — to bend
  24. swing — to play on

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