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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: file · roll · key · tube · field · cabinet · drill · hand

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. drill — army training
  3. file — a line of people
  4. tube — a container
  5. key — in music
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. drill — the tool
  8. roll — a list
  9. field — farmland
  10. tube — the underground
  11. key — the most important part
  12. field — a subject
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. drill — a practice
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. file — a tool
  18. roll — a cake
  19. file — a document
  20. field — for sport
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. key — for a lock

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