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

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. object — to protest
  7. present — a gift
  8. fork — in a road
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. tube — a container
  13. mine — for digging
  14. present — the time now
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. object — a thing
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. object — an aim
  19. chair — a leader
  20. wind — moving air
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. present — there
  24. chair — to sit on

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