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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: field · race · foot · craft · press · pop · tube · rash

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. tube — a container
  3. rash — hasty
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pop — music
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. pop — to visit
  9. race — the arms race
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. field — farmland
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. race — a contest
  14. craft — boats
  15. race — humankind
  16. foot — a measure
  17. rash — a series
  18. press — to push
  19. craft — a skill
  20. pop — soda
  21. field — for sport
  22. tube — the underground
  23. field — a subject
  24. craft — a handicraft

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