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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: pop · dip · field · last · pass · trunk · bound · sharp

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. last — final
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bound — certain
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pop — soda
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. field — farmland
  16. last — finally
  17. pop — music
  18. bound — tied together
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. last — to go on
  21. dip — to sink
  22. pop — to visit
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — a sauce

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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