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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: mug · last · rush · bound · coach · tube · content · land

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. last — to go on
  3. tube — a container
  4. rush — hurry
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. land — ground
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. tube — the underground
  10. mug — to rob
  11. content — happy
  12. bound — obliged
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. mug — a cup
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. mug — a face
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. last — final
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. last — finally
  23. content — the amount
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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