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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: row · pit · date · tube · race · branch · stand · bat

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — the animal
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. row — a line
  5. race — a contest
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. row — to paddle
  8. branch — a division
  9. stand — to bear
  10. tube — the underground
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. race — the arms race
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. date — the fruit
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a hole
  20. tube — a container
  21. race — humankind
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. tube — in a tire

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