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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. net — after costs
  4. march — music
  5. bank — for money
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bank — of a river
  10. net — in sport
  11. wax — to grow
  12. rash — a series
  13. net — for catching
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. march — the month
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bank — for money
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. tube — a container
  24. march — the month

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