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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: stem · fan · object · tube · bound · face · rash · pitch

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. object — a thing
  3. bound — tied together
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. tube — a container
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. object — to protest
  11. rash — a series
  12. bound — certain
  13. tube — the underground
  14. face — to confront
  15. stem — to come from
  16. pitch — completely
  17. object — an aim
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bound — obliged
  20. face — part of the head
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. fan — a supporter

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