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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: bore · last · stand · wound · lie · firm · cell · tube

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cell — in biology
  4. lie — to recline
  5. last — final
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. last — to go on
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. firm — steady
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wound — an injury
  13. firm — a company
  14. bore — to tire
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. firm — decided
  17. tube — a container
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cell — a phone
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. last — finally
  23. stand — to bear
  24. lie — an untruth

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