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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 · straw · bore · field · stock · racket · band · patient

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bore — to tire
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. field — a subject
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. band — a music group
  13. stock — goods
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a ring
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. field — for sport
  19. stock — shares
  20. field — farmland
  21. tube — the underground
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bore — to drill

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