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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: net · field · chip · rush · hand · tube · pop · roll

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. net — in sport
  3. tube — a container
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — to eat
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. field — for sport
  8. hand — in cards
  9. net — after costs
  10. roll — a cake
  11. field — a subject
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. tube — the underground
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. hand — help
  18. pop — music
  19. roll — a list
  20. pop — soda
  21. net — for catching
  22. pop — to visit
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. rush — hurry

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