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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: current · band · bound · snap · mate · squash · bass · tube

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. mate — a partner
  3. current — happening now
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. mate — a friend
  8. current — electric
  9. bass — low music
  10. tube — the underground
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bound — certain
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. snap — to click
  17. band — a music group
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bound — obliged
  20. current — of water
  21. bound — tied together
  22. band — a ring
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bass — the instrument

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