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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. tube — a container
  3. cold — an illness
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stem — to come from
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. 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