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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — a weight
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bound — tied together
  8. staff — employees
  9. rest — a break
  10. fall — to drop
  11. capital — money
  12. rock — music
  13. band — a music group
  14. fall — the season
  15. bound — obliged
  16. staff — employees
  17. capital — a city
  18. rock — a stone
  19. staff — a stick
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bound — certain
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. fall — to drop

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