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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. file — a document
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. branch — a division
  6. can — a tin
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. can — to be able to
  9. band — a ring
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. file — a line of people
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. game — wild animals
  15. can — a tin
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wax — to grow
  20. game — a match
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. file — a tool

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