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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 · chest · date · pass · wake · rash · leaves · rock

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pass — a permit
  4. chest — of your body
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. rock — a stone
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. chest — a box
  10. bound — certain
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rash — a series
  14. bound — obliged
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bound — tied together
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. date — the fruit
  21. rock — music
  22. wake — a trail
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. leaves — lets stay

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