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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: last · bound · tube · pound · scale · plane · march · mine

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — the underground
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. tube — a container
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. march — music
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. scale — in music
  12. last — to go on
  13. plane — a tool
  14. mine — for digging
  15. last — final
  16. scale — size or range
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. march — the month
  19. last — finally
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — certain
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pound — a weight
  24. march — the month

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