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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.

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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: deal · tube · rush · plane · stick · capital · field · wave

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  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. field — farmland
  2. deal — to handle
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. tube — a container
  6. field — for sport
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. rush — hurry
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a city
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. plane — a tool
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. field — a subject
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. tube — the underground
  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