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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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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: stand · present · tube · capital · wound · season · key · ground

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. present — there
  3. tube — the underground
  4. season — of the year
  5. present — a gift
  6. wound — an injury
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. key — for a lock
  11. ground — the earth
  12. capital — money
  13. key — the most important part
  14. stand — to bear
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. season — in sport
  19. present — the time now
  20. tube — a container
  21. key — in music
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. capital — a city

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