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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: stick · rash · stand · tube · can · pound · squash · cold

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. can — a tin
  3. stand — to bear
  4. cold — not warm
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. rash — hasty
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. tube — the underground
  13. pound — a weight
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. can — a tin
  18. squash — to crush
  19. tube — a container
  20. can — to be able to
  21. rash — a series
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. cold — an illness
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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