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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: suit · tube · toast · mine · bulb · mate · dip · field

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. suit — clothes
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. suit — to fit
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. mate — to breed
  8. field — for sport
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. mate — a partner
  12. tube — the underground
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. field — a subject
  15. tube — a container
  16. dip — to sink
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bulb — for light
  20. suit — in cards
  21. bulb — for light
  22. toast — bread
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. field — farmland

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