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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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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 · club · object · stick · mug · pound · cap · tube

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bound — obliged
  3. club — a group
  4. cap — of ice
  5. tube — the underground
  6. club — for golf
  7. bound — certain
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cap — a hat
  10. object — to protest
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — a weight
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. object — an aim
  15. club — for dancing
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. cap — a lid
  19. mug — to rob
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mug — a face
  22. bound — tied together
  23. tube — a container
  24. mug — a cup

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