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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: march · club · stand · bowl · tube · calf · leaves · cell

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. march — music
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. march — the month
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. club — for dancing
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — a container
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. club — a group
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. tube — the underground
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. march — the month
  23. club — for golf
  24. cell — in a prison

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