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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.

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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: racket · pound · pass · spring · sharp · straw · band · wound

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. spring — of water
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pound — a weight
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. spring — the season
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a ring
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. spring — a coil

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