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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: jam · kid · tube · straw · staff · game · field · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. tube — the underground
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. field — a subject
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. game — a match
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. field — for sport
  11. kid — child
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. game — wild animals
  14. kid — to tease
  15. field — farmland
  16. staff — employees
  17. tube — a container
  18. mine — for digging
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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