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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: land · scale · band · nail · row · pound · field · object

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. object — an aim
  4. field — a subject
  5. land — to come down
  6. row — to paddle
  7. field — for sport
  8. band — a ring
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. row — a line
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. land — ground
  15. object — a thing
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. scale — in music
  19. object — to protest
  20. scale — size or range
  21. band — a music group
  22. field — farmland
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. land — a country

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