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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. kid — child
  6. season — in sport
  7. lean — thin
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. race — the arms race
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. season — of the year
  15. tube — a container
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — humankind
  21. kid — to tease
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. season — to add flavour
  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