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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. can — a tin
  3. club — a group
  4. wound — an injury
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. clip — to cut
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. band — a ring
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. can — a tin
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. can — to be able to
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. clip — for paper
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. clip — a video
  20. band — a music group
  21. wound — an injury
  22. track — a path
  23. track — a song
  24. trunk — of a car

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