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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 116 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: lie · fork · field · tube · object · bowl · pop · stick

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. object — a thing
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. lie — to recline
  8. pop — soda
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. pop — to visit
  11. field — farmland
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. field — a subject
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. pop — music
  18. tube — a container
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. object — to protest
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. tube — the underground
  23. field — for sport
  24. fork — in a road

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