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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: spell · field · mark · tube · hide · cell · foot · ruler

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. field — a subject
  5. spell — letters
  6. field — farmland
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mark — a trace
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. spell — a short time
  11. field — for sport
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. mark — a grade
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cell — a phone
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. tube — a container
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. spell — magic
  22. foot — a measure
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. tube — in a tire

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