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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: deal · land · pass · rash · bound · tube · bass · stick

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bass — low music
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. tube — a container
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. land — a country
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. rash — a series
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bass — the fish
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. deal — to handle
  14. land — to come down
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bound — certain
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — tied together
  24. land — ground

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