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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: field · rush · wound · ruler · pop · lie · tube · chest

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  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. field — a subject
  2. chest — of your body
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. chest — a box
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. pop — music
  8. wound — an injury
  9. field — farmland
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pop — to visit
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. field — for sport
  14. rush — hurry
  15. chest — of your body
  16. tube — the underground
  17. lie — to recline
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. tube — a container
  20. pop — soda
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rush — to hurry
  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