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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 · mine · roll · band · patient · perch

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. roll — a list
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. perch — the fish
  6. mine — for digging
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. roll — a cake
  9. pound — a weight
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. band — a ring

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