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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: squash · pound · mug · present · band · snap · tube · spell

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. present — the time now
  4. spell — letters
  5. squash — the sport
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. band — a ring
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. spell — a short time
  10. band — a music group
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. tube — a container
  13. mug — to rob
  14. snap — to click
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mug — a cup
  19. present — there
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. mug — a face
  22. present — a gift
  23. pound — a weight
  24. spell — magic

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