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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: jam · tube · straw · leaves · foot · field · spring · track

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. spring — a coil
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. spring — of water
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. track — to keep track
  10. foot — a measure
  11. tube — the underground
  12. spring — the season
  13. field — farmland
  14. track — a song
  15. field — for sport
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. field — a subject
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. tube — a container
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. track — a path
  24. straw — a straw man

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