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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: scale · bound · object · content · bear · bat · press · tube

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. press — a publisher
  3. content — happy
  4. bear — the animal
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. tube — the underground
  7. press — to push
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bear — the animal
  10. object — a thing
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. scale — size or range
  14. object — an aim
  15. content — the amount
  16. bound — tied together
  17. object — to protest
  18. bat — the animal
  19. tube — a container
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. scale — in music
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bear — to put up with

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