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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tube · present · cold · rash · stand · last · board · prune

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. tube — the underground
  4. present — a gift
  5. stand — to bear
  6. cold — an illness
  7. prune — to trim
  8. board — to get on
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. board — a committee
  13. present — there
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. tube — a container
  17. present — the time now
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. rash — a series
  21. cold — not warm
  22. last — finally
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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