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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 116 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: spring · pass · tube · lean · sharp · bound · game · land

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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 — a container
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. spring — of water
  4. land — a country
  5. game — wild animals
  6. spring — the season
  7. lean — thin
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. sharp — clever
  10. land — ground
  11. spring — a coil
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bound — certain
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. tube — the underground
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. lean — to bend
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bound — obliged
  22. land — to come down
  23. game — a match
  24. bound — tied together

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