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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: stand · mouse · snap · hide · game · tube · track · wound

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. snap — to click
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. track — a song
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. tube — a container
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. game — a match
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. track — to keep track
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. tube — the underground
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. game — wild animals
  23. track — a path
  24. stand — for spectators

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