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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. band — a music group
  3. press — to push
  4. tube — a container
  5. bound — certain
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bound — tied together
  8. press — newspapers
  9. perch — the fish
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bound — obliged
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — a weight
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bore — to drill
  20. tube — the underground
  21. press — a publisher
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. fall — the season

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