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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 · toast · wound · drill · pitch · tube · root · wind

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. drill — a practice
  9. root — of a plant
  10. stand — to bear
  11. tube — a container
  12. drill — the tool
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. drill — army training
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. wind — moving air
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a word
  22. pitch — completely
  23. toast — bread
  24. wound — an injury

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