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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: rash · pitch · tear · current · tube · stem · present · chair

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — a container
  7. present — the time now
  8. pitch — completely
  9. present — there
  10. rash — hasty
  11. current — of water
  12. tear — to rip
  13. stem — to come from
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — electric
  16. chair — a leader
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. present — a gift
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. tube — the underground

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