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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 120 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: rush · march · wound · stand · court · tube · field · fine

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. tube — a container
  5. march — music
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. field — for sport
  10. march — the month
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. tube — the underground
  14. march — the month
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — farmland
  17. rush — hurry
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — high quality
  22. court — of a king
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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