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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: field · tube · bowl · drill · bay · branch · rule · squash

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. branch — a division
  8. field — a subject
  9. squash — the sport
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — government
  12. tube — a container
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. drill — army training
  15. rule — a law
  16. drill — a practice
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. drill — the tool
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. tube — the underground

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