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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. club — a group
  3. staff — employees
  4. club — for golf
  5. staff — employees
  6. row — a line
  7. staff — a stick
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. band — a ring
  11. snap — to click
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. row — to paddle
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. pound — a weight
  22. band — a music group
  23. club — for dancing
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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