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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: stand · tear · ground · bass · tube · bear · chair · pitch

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. tube — the underground
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bear — the animal
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — a position
  8. tube — a container
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bass — the fish
  11. stand — to bear
  12. tear — from crying
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bass — low music
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. chair — a leader
  22. ground — crushed
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tear — from crying

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