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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 116 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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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: pound · bear · race · kid · mouse · mark · band · tube

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. tube — the underground
  4. band — a music group
  5. bear — the animal
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bear — the animal
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — a contest
  12. tube — a container
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mark — a grade
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pound — a weight
  17. race — the arms race
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. band — a ring

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