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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rock · wave · mate · tube · stand · firm · field · saw

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. tube — the underground
  3. mate — a friend
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. firm — a company
  6. firm — steady
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. field — a subject
  10. saw — the tool
  11. firm — decided
  12. stand — to bear
  13. saw — the tool
  14. field — for sport
  15. mate — a partner
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — music
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. field — farmland
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. tube — a container
  24. wave — with your hand

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