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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: file · prune · ball · tube · stick · board · field · kick

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a line of people
  5. ball — a dance
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. field — farmland
  9. file — a tool
  10. board — a committee
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. field — a subject
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. kick — in football
  18. field — for sport
  19. tube — the underground
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. ball — a great time
  23. tube — a container
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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