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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 120 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: cue · field · hide · deal · clip · stem · file · tube

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. field — farmland
  3. file — a line of people
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — to cut
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. stem — to come from
  12. file — a document
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. field — for sport
  15. cue — for pool
  16. tube — a container
  17. cue — a hint
  18. field — a subject
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. clip — a video
  21. cue — a signal
  22. deal — to handle
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. deal — an agreement

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