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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: tube · stand · hide · cabinet · snap · mate · racket · row

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. tube — a container
  7. stand — to bear
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. tube — the underground
  11. mate — a friend
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. mate — a partner
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. snap — to click
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. row — a line
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. row — to paddle
  24. racket — for tennis

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