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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 120 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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. hand — help
  3. band — a music group
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. tube — a container
  7. band — a ring
  8. hand — in cards
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. cell — in biology
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. board — to get on
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. cell — a phone
  17. pound — a weight
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bear — the animal
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — a committee
  22. tube — the underground
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. mark — to pay attention

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