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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: race · field · tube · toast · mug · rash · craft · drill

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. drill — a practice
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a cup
  6. tube — the underground
  7. craft — a skill
  8. field — farmland
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. mug — a face
  11. tube — a container
  12. toast — bread
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — humankind
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. rash — hasty
  18. race — a contest
  19. craft — boats
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. drill — army training
  23. rash — a series
  24. drill — the tool

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