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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 · bat · tube · bass · leaves · stand · bound · land

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bound — tied together
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. bat — the animal
  7. tube — a container
  8. bound — certain
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bass — low music
  14. bound — obliged
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bore — to tire
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. land — to come down
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bore — to drill
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — of a tree

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