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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 124 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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. band — a music group
  4. club — for golf
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. band — a ring
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. court — for sport
  10. stem — to come from
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. kid — child
  13. toast — bread
  14. court — of a king
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. court — of law
  18. kid — to tease
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — a group
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. pound — a weight

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