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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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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: club · deal · band · pound · foot · wind · bank · content

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bank — for money
  3. wind — moving air
  4. club — for dancing
  5. content — happy
  6. bank — for money
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. deal — to handle
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wind — moving air
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bank — of a river
  19. club — for golf
  20. club — a group
  21. content — the amount
  22. band — a music group
  23. foot — a measure
  24. pound — a weight

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