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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
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: tube · leaves · hand · mouse · hide · field · capital · chip

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. tube — the underground
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. chip — for betting
  7. field — a subject
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. field — for sport
  15. chip — to eat
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. capital — money
  20. field — farmland
  21. tube — a container
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. capital — a city

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