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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. rule — a law
  4. row — to paddle
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. tube — the underground
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. band — a ring
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — a gift
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. tube — a container
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. rule — government
  18. present — there
  19. pass — a permit
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pound — a weight
  23. row — a line
  24. row — a quarrel

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