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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
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: hide · tube · field · chair · swing · firm · wound · mouse

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. tube — a container
  3. wound — an injury
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. swing — to play on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. swing — music
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — a subject
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. field — farmland
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. firm — steady
  17. wound — an injury
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. firm — a company
  20. tube — the underground
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. firm — decided
  24. mouse — 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