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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: pop · pound · bank · swing · mate · band · fan · tear

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pop — soda
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bank — of a river
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pop — music
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. band — a ring
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — for money
  15. pound — a weight
  16. band — a music group
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — in golf
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. swing — to play on
  24. tear — from crying

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