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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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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: pound · rest · safe · net · wound · capital · band · face

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. wound — an injury
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. band — a music group
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. rest — what's left
  10. net — in sport
  11. face — to point toward
  12. capital — a city
  13. rest — a break
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. net — after costs
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a ring
  24. pound — a weight

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