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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — a cup
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. chest — of your body
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. cue — a signal
  9. pound — a weight
  10. cue — for pool
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mug — to rob
  15. cue — a hint
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. band — a music group
  22. shower — rain
  23. chest — a box
  24. shower — to wash

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