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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 116 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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. clip — for paper
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. scale — in music
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. pound — a weight
  9. root — the cause
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. wound — an injury
  12. clip — to cut
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. clip — a video
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. ground — crushed
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wound — an injury
  23. ground — a position
  24. pound — to hit hard

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