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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: tube · wound · bear · stand · fall · pitcher · roll · leaves

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. tube — a container
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. bear — the animal
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a cake
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. roll — a list
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. stand — to bear

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