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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. spell — letters
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. capital — money
  7. march — the month
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. march — the month
  12. band — a music group
  13. spell — magic
  14. court — of law
  15. capital — a city
  16. spell — a short time
  17. court — of a king
  18. band — a ring
  19. bank — of a river
  20. march — music
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. plane — a tool
  24. court — for sport

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