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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. band — a music group
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. band — a ring
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cold — an illness
  16. tube — a container
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bulb — for light
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bulb — for light
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. hide — to keep secret

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