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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: deal · mark · mate · pitcher · staff · band · tear · pound

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. staff — a stick
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pound — a weight
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. mark — a grade
  8. tear — from crying
  9. staff — employees
  10. tear — to rip
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mate — a partner
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. tear — from crying
  17. staff — employees
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mark — a trace
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. deal — to handle

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