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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · rock · bore · mine · tube · chair · fork · stand

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bat — the animal
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. fork — in a road
  7. stand — to bear
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. chair — a leader
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. mine — for digging
  16. rock — music
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. tube — a container
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — to drill

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