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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: cell · bound · rest · wake · capital · nail · tube · mate

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bound — obliged
  6. cell — a phone
  7. tube — the underground
  8. wake — a trail
  9. capital — money
  10. bound — certain
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rest — a break
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mate — a friend
  16. tube — a container
  17. capital — a city
  18. rest — what's left
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. cell — in biology
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cell — in a prison

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