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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 120 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
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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: field · stick · present · staff · tube · can · cell · track

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. staff — employees
  3. tube — the underground
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — a phone
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. can — to be able to
  8. track — a song
  9. field — for sport
  10. staff — employees
  11. tube — a container
  12. track — to keep track
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. can — a tin
  16. present — the time now
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. present — there
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. track — a path
  21. field — farmland
  22. staff — a stick
  23. field — a subject
  24. can — a tin

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