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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: file · band · pound · dip · snap · land · season · patient

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. dip — to sink
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. land — to come down
  5. file — a line of people
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. season — of the year
  8. band — a ring
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. land — a country
  11. snap — to click
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. band — a music group
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. file — a document
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. season — in sport
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. land — ground
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. file — a tool
  24. dip — a sauce

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