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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 120 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: coach · pound · bat · arm · band · mouse · row · sharp

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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. arm — part of the body
  4. row — to paddle
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a ring
  17. bat — the animal
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. sharp — clever
  24. row — a line

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