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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. march — the month
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. march — the month
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. squash — to crush
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a ring
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. bass — the fish
  13. march — music
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bass — low music
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. staff — employees
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. squash — the sport
  24. staff — a stick

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