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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 · foot · face · rest · charge · tube · band · kid

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. foot — a measure
  3. face — part of the head
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — child
  7. rest — a break
  8. face — to confront
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. face — to point toward
  11. rest — what's left
  12. charge — electricity
  13. band — a music group
  14. tube — the underground
  15. kid — to tease
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. rest — what's left
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pound — a weight
  20. tube — a container
  21. band — a ring
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. charge — a price
  24. pound — for dogs

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