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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. firm — decided
  4. band — a music group
  5. firm — a company
  6. cell — a phone
  7. band — a ring
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. firm — steady
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. cell — in biology
  16. rock — music
  17. pound — a weight
  18. rock — a stone

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