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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: nail · arm · fan · rule · pound · stand · ball · perch

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. ball — a dance
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — government
  7. stand — to bear
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pound — a weight
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rule — a law
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. ball — a great time

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