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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 120 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: pass · bound · object · mate · lean · cap · tube · rash

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. rash — hasty
  5. tube — a container
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. rash — a series
  9. bound — tied together
  10. cap — of ice
  11. object — an aim
  12. cap — a lid
  13. mate — a friend
  14. lean — thin
  15. object — to protest
  16. object — a thing
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. bound — certain
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mate — to breed
  23. tube — the underground
  24. pass — a permit

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