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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. rush — hurry
  3. fall — to drop
  4. chip — to eat
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. fine — high quality
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. fine — all right
  12. fall — the season
  13. tube — the underground
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — an amount
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — to bear
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. stem — to come from
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. degree — temperature

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