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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pound · bowl · clip · calf · scale · club

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. pound — a weight
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — in music
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. club — a group
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. scale — size or range
  14. club — for golf
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. clip — a video
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. clip — for paper

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