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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. swing — music
  3. object — an aim
  4. object — a thing
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. swing — in golf
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. fine — all right
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pound — a weight
  14. branch — a division
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. fine — high quality
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bat — the animal
  24. object — to protest

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