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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fine — all right
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. tube — the underground
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. can — to be able to
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. tube — a container
  16. wake — a trail
  17. can — a tin
  18. pound — a weight
  19. can — a tin
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. deal — to handle
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a music group

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