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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: mate · band · rush · cold · suit · bound · leaves · can

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — an illness
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — clothes
  11. band — a ring
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bound — obliged
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. suit — to fit
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. can — to be able to
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. band — a music group
  20. bound — tied together
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. bound — certain
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — a tin

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