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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: rush · fine · bound · season · trunk · wake · pass · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bound — obliged
  7. season — in sport
  8. fine — all right
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. rush — hurry
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bound — certain
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. season — of the year
  22. pass — a permit
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. trunk — of a car

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