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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. fine — all right
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. stem — to come from
  9. fine — high quality
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. deal — to handle
  14. band — a music group
  15. bass — low music
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pound — a weight
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. coach — a trainer

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