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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. chest — a box
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. game — a match
  9. mug — a cup
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. game — wild animals
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. band — a ring
  15. mug — a face
  16. chest — of your body
  17. branch — a division
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. chest — of your body

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