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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: cap · band · lean · present · key · row · pound · current

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. key — for a lock
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. cap — a hat
  7. key — the most important part
  8. lean — thin
  9. current — of water
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. present — the time now
  12. present — a gift
  13. current — happening now
  14. cap — a lid
  15. row — a line
  16. present — there
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. key — in music
  19. cap — of ice
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — to bend
  23. current — electric
  24. row — to paddle

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