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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. capital — a city
  3. pop — soda
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bank — for money
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. pound — a weight
  9. wind — moving air
  10. band — a ring
  11. bank — for money
  12. dip — to sink
  13. pop — to visit
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — money
  16. pop — music
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. band — a music group
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bank — of a river
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wind — to turn a key

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