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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: spring · rock · field · mouse · ball · key · fall · tube

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. ball — a dance
  3. key — for a lock
  4. fall — the season
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. ball — a great time
  8. field — a subject
  9. tube — the underground
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — in music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. spring — the season
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. spring — a coil
  19. field — farmland
  20. spring — of water
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rock — music
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. tube — a container

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