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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: pit · bound · stand · spell · shower · suit · clip · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. clip — a video
  4. tube — a container
  5. shower — rain
  6. suit — to fit
  7. shower — to wash
  8. suit — in cards
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. spell — magic
  11. clip — to cut
  12. spell — a short time
  13. pit — a hole
  14. spell — letters
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bound — obliged
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. stand — to bear
  19. clip — for paper
  20. suit — clothes
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — tied together

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