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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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468
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: content · pound · bat · wound · pass · tube · lean · bore

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — a container
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pass — a permit
  12. content — the amount
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. content — happy
  15. bat — the animal
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bore — to tire
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. lean — thin

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