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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. lean — thin
  3. pound — a weight
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. drill — army training
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. firm — a company
  8. lean — to bend
  9. firm — steady
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. firm — decided
  15. court — of a king
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wind — moving air
  18. drill — a practice
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. wind — moving air
  21. court — of law
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. lean — to rest against
  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