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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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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: kid · content · rock · can · band · lash · mate · pound

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. rock — a stone
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. rock — music
  8. mate — a friend
  9. can — to be able to
  10. mate — a partner
  11. content — happy
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. content — the amount
  14. kid — child
  15. band — a ring
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. kid — to tease
  19. band — a music group
  20. mate — to breed
  21. can — a tin
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. lash — an eyelash

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