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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. pound — a weight
  4. spell — magic
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. hand — help
  8. bank — for money
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. spell — letters
  11. band — a music group
  12. bank — for money
  13. hand — in cards
  14. swing — music
  15. band — a ring
  16. wind — moving air
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. spell — a short time

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