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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: press · field · rule · net · ball · pound · tube · tear

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. net — in sport
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — a publisher
  6. tear — from crying
  7. ball — a dance
  8. field — farmland
  9. pound — a weight
  10. rule — a law
  11. field — a subject
  12. net — for catching
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rule — government
  15. tear — to rip
  16. ball — a great time
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. field — for sport
  20. tube — a container
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. press — to push
  23. net — after costs
  24. tube — the underground

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