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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: pound · mine · foot · bank · rest · mate · press · scale

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bank — for money
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. bank — for money
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mate — to breed
  10. scale — in music
  11. bank — of a river
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. foot — a measure
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — to push
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. mate — a partner
  18. scale — size or range
  19. mine — for digging
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. press — newspapers
  23. rest — what's left
  24. foot — the bottom

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