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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. season — in sport
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. present — a gift
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. tube — a container
  7. bank — for money
  8. present — there
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. content — the amount
  12. stand — to bear
  13. bank — of a river
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bound — certain
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. season — of the year
  18. content — happy
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — to come from
  21. present — the time now
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. bank — for money

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