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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: leaves · field · tube · cap · ground · land · pit · track

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. track — a path
  4. cap — a hat
  5. land — a country
  6. track — a song
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. track — to keep track
  9. tube — a container
  10. ground — a position
  11. land — ground
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. field — for sport
  17. cap — of ice
  18. ground — crushed
  19. cap — a lid
  20. pit — a hole
  21. tube — the underground
  22. ground — the earth
  23. land — to come down
  24. field — farmland

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