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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: hand · charge · band · pound · cell · mouse

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. band — a music group
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. charge — a price
  6. cell — a phone
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. pound — a weight
  10. band — a ring
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. hand — help
  13. charge — electricity
  14. hand — in cards
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. charge — in control
  18. mouse — the animal

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