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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 116 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 · chip · mug · land · band · stock · lie · row

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. mug — a cup
  3. band — a music group
  4. land — a country
  5. stock — shares
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. row — a line
  9. lie — to recline
  10. mug — to rob
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. mug — a face
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. land — to come down
  17. row — to paddle
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. band — a ring
  20. stock — goods
  21. chip — to eat
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. chip — for betting
  24. land — ground

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