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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: wound · rest · key · rule · tube · stand · coach · land

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rest — a break
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. rest — what's left
  10. key — the most important part
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. tube — a container
  13. land — ground
  14. wound — an injury
  15. key — in music
  16. key — for a lock
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. land — a country
  19. rule — government
  20. stand — to bear
  21. land — to come down
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rule — a law

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