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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. firm — a company
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. firm — decided
  7. pound — a weight
  8. band — a music group
  9. key — the most important part
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. object — an aim
  12. band — a ring
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. key — for a lock
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — a thing
  18. key — in music

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