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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: tear · jam · roll · band · tube · pitcher · bass · bound

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tube — the underground
  3. band — a music group
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bass — low music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. tear — to rip
  9. roll — a cake
  10. tube — a container
  11. bound — obliged
  12. band — a ring
  13. roll — a list
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. tear — from crying
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bound — certain
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. bound — tied together

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