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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wound — an injury
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. stand — to bear
  6. bank — for money
  7. kid — to tease
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. current — happening now
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rest — what's left
  12. current — electric
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. tube — a container
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bank — of a river
  18. rest — what's left
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. rest — a break
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bank — for money
  24. current — of water

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