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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: wake · bulb · plane · tube · rule · track · bat · field

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. track — a song
  3. tube — a container
  4. field — for sport
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — a law
  11. track — a path
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. field — farmland
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bulb — for light
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bulb — for light
  20. field — a subject
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. rule — government

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