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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 120 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: chair · present · field · tube · wind · board · fan · fork

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. present — there
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. chair — a leader
  7. present — a gift
  8. field — a subject
  9. wind — moving air
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. present — the time now
  15. tube — the underground
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. board — a committee
  22. wind — moving air
  23. board — to get on
  24. tube — in a tire

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