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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: bear · band · pound · hide · toast · pitch · object · land

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. object — a thing
  4. land — ground
  5. object — an aim
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bear — the animal
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. land — to come down
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pound — a weight
  15. toast — bread
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. object — to protest
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. land — a country
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. band — a music group
  24. pitch — completely

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