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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pound — a weight
  5. band — a music group
  6. race — the arms race
  7. club — for dancing
  8. drill — a practice
  9. foot — a measure
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. fall — the season
  13. fall — to drop
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. race — a contest
  20. club — a group
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. club — for golf
  23. band — a ring
  24. race — humankind

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