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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: fork · tube · field · stand · charge · toast · foot · cold

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. tube — the underground
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. tube — a container
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. toast — bread
  10. charge — a price
  11. field — for sport
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stand — to bear
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. cold — an illness
  16. field — farmland
  17. charge — in control
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. field — a subject
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. cold — not warm
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. charge — electricity

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