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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. wound — an injury
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — electricity
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. band — a ring
  9. perch — the fish
  10. dip — to sink
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. swing — in golf
  13. charge — a price
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. band — a music group
  21. swing — music
  22. wound — an injury
  23. swing — to play on
  24. dip — a sauce

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