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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tube · spell · toast · ground · cold · pop · stand · mate

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. cold — not warm
  5. mate — a friend
  6. ground — the earth
  7. toast — bread
  8. spell — a short time
  9. tube — a container
  10. mate — to breed
  11. ground — crushed
  12. tube — the underground
  13. ground — a position
  14. pop — music
  15. mate — a partner
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. cold — an illness
  19. pop — to visit
  20. spell — magic
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. pop — soda
  24. stand — to bear

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