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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a ring
  5. chest — a box
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. spring — a coil
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mug — a cup
  12. spring — the season
  13. pound — a weight
  14. object — a thing
  15. mug — to rob
  16. object — an aim
  17. mug — a face
  18. spring — of water
  19. wake — a trail
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. object — to protest
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. band — a music group

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