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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: rock · stand · saw · bound · wound · pass · land · coach

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — music
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bound — tied together
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wound — an injury
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stand — to bear
  17. rock — a stone
  18. land — a country
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bound — obliged
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pass — a permit
  24. bound — certain

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