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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: perch · march · can · last · pound · dip · club · mine

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. club — for golf
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. can — a tin
  5. last — to go on
  6. perch — the fish
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. march — the month
  9. last — final
  10. dip — to sink
  11. can — to be able to
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. last — finally
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. club — for dancing
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. march — the month
  21. can — a tin
  22. mine — for digging
  23. march — music
  24. club — a group

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