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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 116 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: tube · drill · plane · race · cabinet · stem · cap · field

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. race — humankind
  3. cap — a hat
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. drill — the tool
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. cap — of ice
  9. drill — army training
  10. plane — a tool
  11. cap — a lid
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stem — to come from
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. tube — a container
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. tube — the underground
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. field — a subject
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — the arms race
  23. drill — a practice
  24. plane — in geometry

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