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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: coach · field · lie · trunk · tube · pit · scale · saw

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. scale — size or range
  4. pit — a hole
  5. tube — a container
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. tube — the underground
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. field — a subject
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lie — to recline
  13. saw — the tool
  14. scale — in music
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. pit — in a race
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. saw — the tool
  24. coach — a trainer

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