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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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 music group
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. band — a ring
  8. stock — goods
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. spring — the season
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. spring — of water
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. stock — shares
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bound — obliged
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bound — certain
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bound — tied together

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