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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. mark — a trace
  3. band — a music group
  4. mark — a grade
  5. race — a contest
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. hand — in cards
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. band — a ring
  11. race — the arms race
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. race — humankind
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. hand — help

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