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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. band — a ring
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. spring — of water
  6. dip — to sink
  7. band — a music group
  8. spring — the season
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. club — a group
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. club — for golf
  15. pound — a weight
  16. spring — a coil
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — clever

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