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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. band — a ring
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. pound — a weight
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. cell — in biology
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. land — to come down
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — a trail
  20. band — a music group
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. cell — a phone

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