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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: stick · tube · cabinet · mouse · cold · leaves · pit · wound

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. wound — an injury
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. tube — the underground
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. pit — in a race
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. cold — an illness
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. tube — a container
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pit — a hole

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