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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 120 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. lean — thin
  3. charge — electricity
  4. band — a ring
  5. lean — to bend
  6. file — a tool
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. file — a document
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pound — a weight
  11. file — a line of people
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. object — a thing
  16. charge — a price
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. object — to protest
  19. charge — in control
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. object — an aim

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