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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: band · squash · press · tube · hand · land · bound · temple

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. land — ground
  8. press — newspapers
  9. squash — to crush
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. squash — the sport
  13. land — a country
  14. press — to push
  15. tube — the underground
  16. hand — in cards
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bound — certain
  19. hand — help
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bound — tied together
  23. land — to come down
  24. tube — a container

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