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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: pound · bank · mine · wound · sharp · dip · band · fan

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. band — a ring
  3. sharp — clever
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. band — a music group
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. dip — to sink
  11. bank — for money
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bank — for money
  18. mine — for digging
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bank — of a river
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pound — a weight
  24. fan — to cool the air

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