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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  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 rubber band
  2. scale — size or range
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. key — for a lock
  5. lean — to bend
  6. tear — to rip
  7. lean — thin
  8. pound — a weight
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. key — the most important part
  17. band — a music group
  18. scale — in music
  19. deal — to handle
  20. key — in music
  21. band — a ring
  22. tear — from crying
  23. deal — a big deal
  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