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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: craft · tube · bank · mate · sharp · stand · cold · last

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — a container
  3. craft — a skill
  4. stand — to bear
  5. bank — for money
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bank — of a river
  10. mate — to breed
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. last — final
  15. craft — boats
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. last — finally
  18. mate — a partner
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. mate — a friend
  21. last — to go on
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bank — for money

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