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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: hand · pound · club · wave · mark · scale · wound · foot

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wound — an injury
  3. hand — in cards
  4. scale — in music
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. club — for golf
  7. mark — a grade
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pound — a weight
  13. club — a group
  14. hand — help
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. foot — a measure
  18. club — for dancing
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. scale — size or range
  21. mark — a trace
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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