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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: net · chair · stand · fine · lash · tube · ground · present

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. tube — the underground
  3. present — a gift
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. stand — to bear
  6. fine — high quality
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — the earth
  9. chair — a leader
  10. net — after costs
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. tube — a container
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. net — in sport
  15. ground — a position
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. present — there
  20. fine — all right
  21. net — for catching
  22. present — the time now
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — for spectators

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