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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: saw · chest · field · mouse · tube · cap · dip · can

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. field — a subject
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. field — farmland
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. field — for sport
  11. can — a tin
  12. tube — a container
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. cap — a hat
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. can — a tin
  17. cap — a lid
  18. chest — a box
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. dip — to sink
  21. chest — of your body
  22. saw — the tool
  23. can — to be able to
  24. tube — the underground

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