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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: lean · season · pop · club · mate · wind · calf · pound

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. club — for golf
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pound — a weight
  6. lean — thin
  7. pop — to visit
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. mate — a friend
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. club — for dancing
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mate — a partner
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. club — a group
  22. lean — to bend
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. pop — soda

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