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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: race · firm · field · straw · tube · bear · can · arm

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. firm — decided
  3. can — a tin
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. tube — a container
  7. can — to be able to
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. firm — steady
  10. race — the arms race
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. field — farmland
  15. race — a contest
  16. can — a tin
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. field — a subject
  20. bear — the animal
  21. tube — the underground
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. firm — a company
  24. race — humankind

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