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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pitcher · hand · band · chest · roll · hide · foot · pound

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — a list
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. band — a music group
  5. foot — a measure
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. chest — a box
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. pound — a weight
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. chest — of your body
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. band — a ring

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