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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: cabinet · tube · bank · last · face · date · bound · stand

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stand — to bear
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. date — the fruit
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bound — certain
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bank — for money
  10. last — finally
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. face — to confront
  13. bank — of a river
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. last — to go on
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — obliged
  18. tube — a container
  19. bank — for money
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. tube — the underground
  24. last — final

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