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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: pass · tube · chest · nail · pop · spring · firm · ground

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. chest — of your body
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — crushed
  8. chest — a box
  9. firm — steady
  10. spring — of water
  11. chest — of your body
  12. tube — the underground
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. ground — the earth
  16. tube — a container
  17. spring — a coil
  18. pass — a permit
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — a company
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pop — to visit
  23. spring — the season
  24. nail — for a hammer

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