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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: tube · pass · bound · racket · hide · cold · kick · spell

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. spell — a short time
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. kick — in football
  6. tube — a container
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — an illness
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — certain
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — a permit
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. spell — magic
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. spell — letters
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bound — tied together

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