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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · racket · land · tube · craft · cold · bear · press

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. press — newspapers
  3. field — farmland
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. craft — boats
  7. cold — an illness
  8. field — a subject
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. land — ground
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. press — to push
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. field — for sport
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. craft — a skill
  20. bear — the animal
  21. press — a publisher
  22. tube — the underground
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bear — the animal

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