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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: bank · tear · pound · toast · mug · board · net · kick

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. mug — to rob
  3. board — a committee
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — a weight
  7. board — to get on
  8. tear — from crying
  9. net — after costs
  10. mug — a face
  11. tear — to rip
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bank — for money
  15. mug — a cup
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. bank — for money
  18. net — for catching
  19. kick — in football
  20. net — in sport
  21. bank — of a river
  22. tear — from crying
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. toast — the most admired

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