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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.

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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 · chair · rock · hide · wind · drill · tube · bat

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bat — the animal
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. wind — moving air
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. stand — to bear
  9. drill — army training
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. drill — a practice
  16. chair — a leader
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — music
  20. drill — the tool
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bat — in an idiom

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