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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: land · rock · mine · field · track · deal · tube · staff

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. land — a country
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. staff — employees
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. staff — a stick
  8. tube — the underground
  9. staff — employees
  10. track — a song
  11. field — farmland
  12. land — to come down
  13. track — a path
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. deal — to handle
  16. rock — a stone
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. rock — music
  20. tube — a container
  21. track — to keep track
  22. land — ground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. field — a subject

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