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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: bound · wound · coach · current · bowl · mate · rash · tube

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bound — certain
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. current — electric
  8. wound — an injury
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. wound — an injury
  15. current — happening now
  16. tube — the underground
  17. mate — a friend
  18. tube — a container
  19. current — of water
  20. bound — obliged
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bound — tied together
  23. rash — a series
  24. bowl — to roll

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