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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: mouse · branch · bulb · pound · last · roll · stand · file

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  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. pound — for dogs
  2. stand — to bear
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. last — to go on
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bulb — for light
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. last — final
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bulb — for light
  14. file — a line of people
  15. roll — a list
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. file — a tool
  20. branch — a division
  21. file — a document
  22. last — finally
  23. roll — a cake
  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