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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: leaves · press · pass · land · mark · dip · cold · bound

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. land — ground
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. mark — a grade
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. press — a publisher
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. land — a country
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. press — to push
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bound — certain
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bound — obliged
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. pass — a permit
  21. mark — a trace
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. dip — to sink
  24. land — to come down

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