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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: field · tube · rash · fork · season · can · deal · key

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. key — the most important part
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. field — a subject
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. tube — the underground
  7. season — in sport
  8. fork — in a road
  9. rash — hasty
  10. season — of the year
  11. field — farmland
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. field — for sport
  17. can — to be able to
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. tube — a container
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. deal — to handle
  23. rash — a series
  24. fork — to eat with

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