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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: pitcher · bound · mug · rash · hand · wake · tube · press

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. press — a publisher
  7. mug — a face
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. hand — help
  10. wake — a trail
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mug — a cup
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — a container
  17. press — to push
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. press — newspapers
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bound — certain

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