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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: season · band · tube · bulb · nail · straw · leaves · stand

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. stand — to bear
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. season — in sport
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bulb — for light
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a ring
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bulb — for light
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. tube — a container
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. season — of the year

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