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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: date · bay · stand · mark · pop · lean · tube · mine

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pop — music
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. tube — a container
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. lean — thin
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. date — the fruit
  15. lean — to bend
  16. pop — to visit
  17. mine — for digging
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. mark — a grade
  22. pop — soda
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — on your feet

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