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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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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 · stick · bat · tube · kid · rock · bark · cap

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rock — music
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bark — to shout
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rock — a stone
  19. cap — a lid
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. tube — in a tire

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