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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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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 · tube · bay · calf · patient · cell · kid · track

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. tube — a container
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. field — a subject
  7. cell — in biology
  8. track — a song
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. field — for sport
  12. kid — to tease
  13. track — to keep track
  14. tube — the underground
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. kid — child
  18. cell — a phone
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. track — a path
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. field — farmland

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