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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: bound · field · pop · branch · content · mate · press · band

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. field — for sport
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. press — newspapers
  5. branch — a division
  6. band — a music group
  7. content — the amount
  8. band — a ring
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. mate — a friend
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. field — a subject
  16. press — to push
  17. mate — to breed
  18. field — farmland
  19. bound — tied together
  20. mate — a partner
  21. content — happy
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pop — music
  24. press — a publisher

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