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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. lean — thin
  3. staff — employees
  4. pop — soda
  5. lean — to bend
  6. scale — in music
  7. band — a ring
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pop — to visit
  10. can — to be able to
  11. rash — hasty
  12. can — a tin
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. pop — music
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. can — a tin
  17. band — a music group
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. staff — employees
  20. rash — a series
  21. staff — a stick
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — size or range

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