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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: patient · root · bass · band · pitcher · mine · club · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  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. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — a weight
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. root — of a plant
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. root — of a word
  11. bass — the fish
  12. mine — for digging
  13. club — for golf
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bass — low music
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. band — a ring
  20. root — the cause
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. club — a group
  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