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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. pound — a weight
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. staff — a stick
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. file — a document
  11. wake — a trail
  12. staff — employees
  13. roll — a cake
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a line of people
  19. roll — a list
  20. staff — employees
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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