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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 120 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: cabinet · foot · bowl · pound · patient · rock · band · game

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. band — a ring
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. band — a music group
  11. foot — a measure
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. rock — a stone
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. rock — music
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. pound — a weight
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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