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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: tube · firm · last · ground · craft · track · cell · file

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. firm — decided
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. cell — a phone
  5. track — a song
  6. tube — the underground
  7. craft — boats
  8. file — a line of people
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — a position
  11. firm — steady
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. track — to keep track
  15. last — to go on
  16. craft — a skill
  17. file — a document
  18. last — finally
  19. track — a path
  20. last — final
  21. firm — a company
  22. file — a tool
  23. tube — a container
  24. ground — the earth

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