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

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tube — the underground
  6. season — in sport
  7. tube — a container
  8. spell — a short time
  9. track — a song
  10. track — a path
  11. stand — to bear
  12. spell — letters
  13. tear — from crying
  14. can — a tin
  15. current — electric
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. track — to keep track
  20. can — a tin
  21. season — of the year
  22. spell — magic
  23. can — to be able to
  24. stand — for spectators

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