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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: pass · hand · mug · perch · tube · field · pit · can

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. can — a tin
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. can — a tin
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a hole
  8. field — a subject
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a cup
  13. pass — a permit
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. can — to be able to
  19. perch — the fish
  20. tube — a container
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. tube — the underground
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. tube — in a tire

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