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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 116 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: bowl · tube · pass · sharp · spring · pitch · band · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. field — a subject
  7. tube — a container
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. pass — a permit
  11. spring — the season
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. spring — of water
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. sharp — clever
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. spring — a coil
  23. tube — the underground
  24. field — for sport

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