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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
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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: stand · pop · file · squash · saw · straw · tube · field

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. tube — a container
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. field — for sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. field — farmland
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. saw — the tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pop — music
  16. squash — to crush
  17. file — a document
  18. pop — soda
  19. stand — to bear
  20. squash — the sport
  21. saw — the tool
  22. field — a subject
  23. tube — the underground
  24. file — a tool

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