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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: mate · clip · ruler · racket · tube · stand · hide · cabinet

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. stand — to bear
  4. tube — a container
  5. mate — to breed
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. clip — for paper
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. clip — a video
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. mate — a friend
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. mate — a partner
  19. clip — to cut
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. tube — the underground
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. ruler — a monarch

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