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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 · bear · field · rule · hand · dip · safe · kick

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. dip — to sink
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — government
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bear — the animal
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. bear — the animal
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. tube — a container

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