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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: race · bound · mate · tube · hide · pop · pass · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mate — to breed
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. race — humankind
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bound — certain
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bound — obliged
  12. tube — a container
  13. bound — tied together
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. pop — soda
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. pass — a permit
  21. race — a contest
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mate — a friend
  24. race — the arms race

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