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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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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 · roll · chest · last · pound · saw · present · jam

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. saw — the tool
  4. present — there
  5. present — a gift
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. chest — of your body
  9. last — to go on
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. last — final
  12. band — a music group
  13. pound — a weight
  14. band — a ring
  15. last — finally
  16. saw — the tool
  17. chest — a box
  18. present — the time now
  19. roll — a cake
  20. roll — a list
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. pound — for dogs

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