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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: bound · mate · object · mine · rash · mug · land · tube

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. mate — a partner
  3. object — a thing
  4. mug — a cup
  5. land — to come down
  6. mug — to rob
  7. rash — a series
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mug — a face
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. mine — for digging
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. land — a country
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bound — obliged
  17. object — an aim
  18. mate — to breed
  19. land — ground
  20. bound — certain
  21. object — to protest
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bound — tied together
  24. mine — belonging to me

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