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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. bank — of a river
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. march — music
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. march — the month
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bank — for money
  17. march — the month
  18. kick — in football

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