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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: staff · tube · rush · swing · game · field · cap · craft

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. staff — employees
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. field — farmland
  5. staff — a stick
  6. game — wild animals
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. field — for sport
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. field — a subject
  11. tube — the underground
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. swing — music
  15. tube — a container
  16. craft — a skill
  17. swing — to play on
  18. cap — of ice
  19. staff — employees
  20. swing — in golf
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cap — a hat
  24. game — a match

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