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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: staff · ruler · object · tube · press · race · field · lean

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. press — newspapers
  3. object — a thing
  4. lean — thin
  5. race — the arms race
  6. field — farmland
  7. press — to push
  8. field — a subject
  9. staff — employees
  10. race — humankind
  11. lean — to bend
  12. object — an aim
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. race — a contest
  17. staff — a stick
  18. object — to protest
  19. staff — employees
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. press — a publisher
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — a container

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