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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 valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. lean — thin
  4. wind — moving air
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — child
  7. lean — to bend
  8. bank — of a river
  9. pound — a weight
  10. capital — a city
  11. bank — for money
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. club — for dancing
  15. kid — to tease
  16. object — an aim
  17. bank — for money
  18. club — for golf
  19. wind — moving air
  20. capital — money
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. object — to protest
  23. club — a group
  24. lean — to rest against

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