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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 120 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: pit · spring · shower · tube · mate · can · march · pass

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. pass — a permit
  3. march — music
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. spring — the season
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. tube — the underground
  11. can — a tin
  12. pit — in a race
  13. spring — of water
  14. pit — a hole
  15. spring — a coil
  16. mate — to breed
  17. march — the month
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — a friend
  20. march — the month
  21. can — to be able to
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. can — a tin
  24. tube — a container

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