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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 116 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: rock · ball · field · ruler · fall · snap · tube · bound

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  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. ball — a great time
  2. fall — the season
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. fall — to drop
  7. field — farmland
  8. rock — music
  9. bound — obliged
  10. field — a subject
  11. rock — a stone
  12. tube — a container
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. field — for sport
  17. snap — to click
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. tube — the underground
  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