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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 120 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: band · pop · wave · march · straw · pound · dip · rash

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. rash — hasty
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. dip — to sink
  8. pop — music
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. march — the month
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. march — music
  18. band — a ring
  19. pop — soda
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. march — the month
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. band — a music group

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