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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. present — there
  3. chest — of your body
  4. band — a music group
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. present — the time now
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. tube — a container
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. present — a gift
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — hurry
  19. chest — a box
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. band — a ring
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. fork — in a road

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