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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.

Words on the sheet
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: bark · fan · cell · mouse · wound · tube · bound · pass

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — the underground
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bark — to shout
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pass — a permit
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. tube — a container
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cell — a phone
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — tied together
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bound — certain
  24. cell — in a prison

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