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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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468
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 · pit · track · ground · wave · cabinet · band · net

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. track — a song
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. track — a path
  6. band — a music group
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. net — for catching
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. ground — the earth
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. pit — a hole
  13. net — in sport
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pound — a weight
  18. band — a ring
  19. track — to keep track
  20. pit — in a race
  21. ground — a position
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. net — after costs
  24. pound — to hit hard

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