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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: object · bank · scale · dip · cold · pit · pound · spell

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. spell — a short time
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — to protest
  6. dip — to sink
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bank — for money
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. scale — size or range
  12. object — a thing
  13. spell — magic
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bank — of a river
  16. cold — not warm
  17. spell — letters
  18. bank — for money
  19. cold — an illness
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pit — in a race
  24. scale — in music

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