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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: toast · land · fan · chest · track · mark · tube · craft

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. chest — of your body
  4. tube — the underground
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. land — a country
  7. track — to keep track
  8. toast — bread
  9. track — a song
  10. chest — a box
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. tube — a container
  14. land — to come down
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. craft — a skill
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a trace
  20. craft — boats
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. track — a path
  24. craft — a handicraft

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