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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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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: mouse · land · band · wave · deal · pitcher · scale · pound

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. land — to come down
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. band — a music group
  11. deal — to handle
  12. pound — a weight
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. land — a country
  15. band — a ring
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. scale — size or range
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. scale — in music
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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