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

Word bank: pound · staff · bowl · wind · pop · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. staff — employees
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. scale — size or range
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. scale — in music
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. pop — soda
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pop — music
  18. bowl — a dish

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