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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: cue · field · rush · fan · pit · branch · tube · trunk

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. field — for sport
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pit — in a race
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — a signal
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. field — farmland
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. pit — a hole
  16. tube — a container
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. cue — for pool
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. tube — the underground
  24. field — a subject

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