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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.

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: wave · stem · tube · field · foot · lean · bear · bass

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. lean — to bend
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. field — farmland
  7. bass — the fish
  8. stem — to come from
  9. foot — a measure
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. field — a subject
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bass — low music
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. field — for sport
  21. lean — thin
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. wave — of the sea

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