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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bank — for money
  3. key — the most important part
  4. wound — an injury
  5. march — the month
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. chest — of your body
  8. key — in music
  9. mine — for digging
  10. chest — a box
  11. bank — of a river
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. march — music
  18. foot — a measure
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. chest — of your body
  21. key — for a lock
  22. march — the month
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. bank — for money

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