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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. land — to come down
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — for catching
  7. land — a country
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. net — after costs
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stock — goods
  12. object — an aim
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. object — a thing
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stock — shares
  18. object — to protest
  19. land — ground
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. tube — the underground
  23. stand — to bear
  24. staff — employees

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