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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 120 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: band · can · bore · ground · pound · pass · land · kid

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. band — a ring
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. can — a tin
  5. land — a country
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. can — a tin
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. band — a music group
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pound — a weight
  15. can — to be able to
  16. land — ground
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. land — to come down
  19. kid — child
  20. ground — the earth
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pass — to spend time

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