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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. stem — to come from
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. scale — in music
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — a container
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bear — the animal
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. stand — to bear

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