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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: lie · bound · press · tube · net · mug · race · saw

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. tube — a container
  3. lie — to recline
  4. net — for catching
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bound — certain
  7. saw — the tool
  8. tube — the underground
  9. mug — a cup
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. saw — the tool
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bound — tied together
  14. press — to push
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. race — a contest
  17. mug — a face
  18. press — a publisher
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — in sport
  21. race — humankind
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. mug — to rob
  24. press — newspapers

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