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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: drill · ground · foot · pound · cue · stock · band · staff

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. ground — crushed
  3. foot — a measure
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. drill — army training
  8. band — a music group
  9. cue — a signal
  10. ground — a position
  11. stock — goods
  12. staff — employees
  13. drill — a practice
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. staff — employees
  16. drill — the tool
  17. band — a ring
  18. stock — shares
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. ground — the earth
  22. staff — a stick
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. cue — for pool

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