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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: field · band · game · cap · stick · wake · mark · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. mark — a trace
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. field — a subject
  8. tube — a container
  9. cap — a lid
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. band — a music group
  13. game — a match
  14. mark — a grade
  15. band — a ring
  16. game — wild animals
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cap — a hat
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cap — of ice
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. mark — to pay attention

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