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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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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: board · cue · tube · tear · stock · bay · field · cell

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. tube — the underground
  5. stock — shares
  6. cue — a hint
  7. tube — a container
  8. field — a subject
  9. cue — for pool
  10. board — a committee
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. tear — from crying
  13. stock — goods
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cell — a phone
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cue — a signal
  21. board — to get on
  22. tear — to rip
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. field — farmland

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