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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 120 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: season · wake · pound · bound · fork · rule · land · pass

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. rule — a law
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bound — certain
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bound — tied together
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. rule — government
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bound — obliged
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. land — to come down
  21. wake — a trail
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. pass — to succeed

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