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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: cell · wake · tube · tear · stand · cabinet · hide · ball

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. ball — a dance
  7. tube — a container
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cell — in biology
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. tube — the underground
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stand — to bear
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cell — a phone
  20. tear — to rip
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. cell — in a prison

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