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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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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: wake · leaves · present · row · stick · band · pound · cue

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. band — a ring
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cue — for pool
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. cue — a signal
  11. present — there
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — a weight
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. cue — a hint
  18. band — a music group
  19. row — a line
  20. present — a gift
  21. row — to paddle
  22. present — the time now
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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