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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: bore · cold · rush · mug · pound · mark · pass · wake

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mark — a trace
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bore — to drill
  6. rush — hurry
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. mug — a face
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bore — to tire
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. mark — a grade
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. mug — to rob
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pass — a permit

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