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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. toast — bread
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. scale — in music
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bear — the animal
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. band — a music group
  16. scale — size or range
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. dip — to dunk

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