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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: bound · nail · tube · pass · fan · ball · net · shower

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bound — obliged
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bound — certain
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. bound — tied together
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. net — in sport
  11. tube — a container
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. net — after costs
  14. shower — to wash
  15. tube — the underground
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. shower — rain
  18. pass — a permit
  19. net — for catching
  20. ball — a great time
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

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