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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 · ruler · scale · band · staff · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — a weight
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. band — a music group
  7. staff — a stick
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. snap — to click
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. band — a ring
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. staff — employees
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. scale — size or range
  17. staff — employees
  18. scale — in music

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