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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: foot · field · vault · nail · kid · press · mate · tube

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. field — for sport
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. kid — child
  10. press — a publisher
  11. field — farmland
  12. press — newspapers
  13. kid — to tease
  14. mate — a partner
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. mate — to breed
  17. press — to push
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. tube — the underground
  20. foot — a measure
  21. tube — a container
  22. vault — a safe
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mate — a friend

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