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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.

Make a worksheet

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: stand · hide · rash · pit · bass · cold · leaves · tube

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bass — the fish
  3. tube — a container
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. rash — hasty
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. tube — the underground
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cold — not warm
  11. stand — to bear
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bass — low music
  15. pit — in a race
  16. rash — a series
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. pit — a hole
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. hide — animal skin

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