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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. roll — a list
  3. spring — of water
  4. ground — a position
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. cap — a hat
  9. stand — to bear
  10. spring — a coil
  11. plane — a tool
  12. cap — of ice
  13. staff — employees
  14. tube — the underground
  15. spring — the season
  16. ground — the earth
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. ground — crushed
  19. tube — a container
  20. roll — a cake
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. cap — a lid
  24. tube — in a tire

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