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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: mine · file · field · jam · tube · mate · cell · coach

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. tube — a container
  3. file — a tool
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — for digging
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. tube — the underground
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cell — a phone
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. field — a subject
  24. cell — in biology

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