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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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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: lash · scale · last · present · pound · cue · bore · band

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. cue — a hint
  3. band — a ring
  4. scale — in music
  5. last — finally
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a signal
  8. pound — a weight
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. bore — to tire
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. scale — size or range
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. present — a gift
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. present — there
  20. band — a music group
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. present — the time now
  23. last — final
  24. bore — to drill

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