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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 · band · root · object · ground · chair · tube · stand

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. band — a music group
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. band — a ring
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. ground — the earth
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. object — an aim
  12. tube — a container
  13. stand — to bear
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. object — a thing
  17. ground — a position
  18. root — of a plant
  19. object — to protest
  20. root — of a word
  21. chair — a leader
  22. root — the cause
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. ground — crushed

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