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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: staff · key · field · mouse · lash · wind · press · tube

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. field — a subject
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. tube — the underground
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. field — for sport
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. tube — a container
  13. key — the most important part
  14. press — to push
  15. field — farmland
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. key — for a lock
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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