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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · pound · dip · ground · capital · rash · toast · stock

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. rash — on the skin
  2. band — a ring
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — a weight
  5. capital — a city
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. toast — bread
  9. rash — hasty
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. stock — goods
  15. band — a music group
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. rash — a series
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. capital — money
  22. stock — shares
  23. ground — a position
  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