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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: tube · pound · game · bear · rock · rash · march · band

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. march — music
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pound — a weight
  6. tube — the underground
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. rash — hasty
  9. tube — a container
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. band — a music group
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. game — a match
  16. rash — a series
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. rock — music
  20. bear — the animal
  21. game — wild animals
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. band — a ring

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