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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 120 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: mine · bound · tube · saw · can · march · racket · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bound — tied together
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. mine — for digging
  11. march — the month
  12. tube — a container
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bound — obliged
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. saw — the tool
  19. can — to be able to
  20. march — the month
  21. bound — certain
  22. tube — the underground
  23. march — music
  24. mine — belonging to me

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