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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: track · bear · trunk · tube · cue · field · bowl · present

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. present — a gift
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. track — a path
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. tube — a container
  11. present — the time now
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a hint
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. present — there
  19. track — a song
  20. field — farmland
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. field — for sport
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. track — to keep track

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