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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: lean · fork · wave · deal · tube · bat · field · mine

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. field — farmland
  6. tube — the underground
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — to bend
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mine — for digging
  14. tube — a container
  15. field — for sport
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. lean — thin
  20. deal — to handle
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — in an idiom

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