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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: branch · band · drill · mate · can · pound · foot · sharp

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. mate — a friend
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. can — a tin
  7. band — a music group
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. drill — army training
  11. foot — a measure
  12. can — a tin
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mate — a partner
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — clever
  17. band — a ring
  18. mate — to breed
  19. drill — the tool
  20. pound — a weight
  21. branch — a division
  22. drill — a practice
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. sharp — exactly

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