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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 · hand · pop · press · perch · track · tube · bound

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  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. tube — in a tire
  2. pop — to visit
  3. hand — help
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — tied together
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. tube — the underground
  9. perch — the fish
  10. press — to push
  11. track — to keep track
  12. hand — in cards
  13. press — newspapers
  14. pop — music
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. track — a song
  17. band — a ring
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bound — obliged
  20. press — a publisher
  21. band — a music group
  22. track — a path
  23. pop — soda
  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