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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: coach · nail · mine · pound · current · bass · pop · game

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. pop — to visit
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bass — low music
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. game — a match
  9. pop — soda
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. current — happening now
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. current — electric
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pop — music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. current — of water
  24. pound — a weight

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