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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 116 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: cell · pound · ruler · swing · band · wind

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. swing — music
  4. wind — moving air
  5. band — a ring
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. pound — a weight
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — a phone
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf

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