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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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. object — an aim
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — electricity
  7. object — a thing
  8. band — a music group
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — tied together
  11. charge — in control
  12. band — a ring
  13. pound — a weight
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bass — low music
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. 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