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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: wave · pound · bear · cell · race · land

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. cell — in biology
  4. land — a country
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. land — to come down
  12. cell — a phone
  13. race — a contest
  14. land — ground
  15. bear — the animal
  16. race — humankind
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bear — to put up with

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