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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: nail · foot · field · mark · tube · mine · bank · cold

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. tube — a container
  3. field — for sport
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. cold — not warm
  6. tube — the underground
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — farmland
  14. bank — for money
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mine — for digging
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. mark — a grade
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. cold — an illness
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. foot — the bottom

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