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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — of water
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. race — humankind
  11. bank — of a river
  12. stand — to bear
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. chair — a leader
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bore — to tire
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bore — to drill
  22. race — a contest
  23. tube — a container
  24. 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