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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: tube · march · wake · pass · mate · land · foot · bass

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. tube — the underground
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. tube — a container
  8. bass — low music
  9. foot — a measure
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pass — a permit
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a friend
  14. march — music
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. land — ground
  17. bass — the fish
  18. march — the month
  19. wake — a trail
  20. march — the month
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. land — a country
  23. mate — a partner
  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