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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: can · content · fall · hand · lean · pitch · pound · band

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. lean — thin
  4. hand — help
  5. content — happy
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. band — a music group
  8. fall — the season
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. fall — to drop
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. lean — to bend
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. band — a ring
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pound — a weight
  19. hand — in cards
  20. content — the amount
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pitch — completely
  23. fall — to drop
  24. lean — to rest against

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