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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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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: foot · bear · stand · kid · pit · press · tube · wind

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. kid — child
  4. pit — in a race
  5. foot — a measure
  6. wind — moving air
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. press — newspapers
  9. kid — to tease
  10. tube — the underground
  11. press — to push
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pit — a hole
  18. press — a publisher
  19. stand — to bear
  20. bear — the animal
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. foot — part of the body

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