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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: mine · tube · bore · bound · leaves · wake · clip · net

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. net — for catching
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. tube — a container
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. net — after costs
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bound — tied together
  17. clip — a video
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. tube — the underground
  20. wake — a trail
  21. mine — for digging
  22. net — in sport
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bore — to tire

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