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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: last · lie · pass · land · mark · bear · tube · field

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bear — the animal
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. last — finally
  5. field — for sport
  6. tube — the underground
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. tube — a container
  10. last — final
  11. pass — a permit
  12. lie — to recline
  13. last — to go on
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. field — farmland
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. mark — a grade
  20. land — ground
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. field — a subject
  24. land — a country

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