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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bank — for money
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. band — a ring
  6. mark — a trace
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bank — of a river
  9. deal — to handle
  10. pound — a weight
  11. clip — a video
  12. band — a music group
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mark — a grade
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bank — for money
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. clip — for paper
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. clip — to cut

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