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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: pit · tube · rush · mine · spell · swing · stand · deal

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. spell — letters
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. deal — to handle
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. swing — to play on
  7. stand — to bear
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — in a race
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. swing — music
  18. spell — a short time
  19. tube — a container
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. swing — in golf
  22. spell — magic
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. rush — hurry

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