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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: dip · content · squash · temple · pound · club · tear · band

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. tear — from crying
  5. squash — the sport
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. dip — to sink
  8. content — the amount
  9. tear — to rip
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. band — a ring
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. club — a group
  19. content — happy
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. band — a music group
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — for dancing

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