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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 116 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: swing · ground · leaves · stand · tube · wind · rush · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. swing — music
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. tube — a container
  6. ground — crushed
  7. wind — moving air
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. kid — to tease
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. stand — to bear
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. ground — a position
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. swing — to play on
  20. ground — the earth
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wind — moving air
  23. tube — the underground
  24. rush — hurry

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