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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 · perch · net · pass · bound · coach · rest · tube

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. net — in sport
  4. tube — a container
  5. rest — a break
  6. pass — a permit
  7. perch — the fish
  8. tube — the underground
  9. net — for catching
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bound — tied together
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. net — after costs
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — final
  20. last — finally
  21. bound — certain
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. bound — obliged

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