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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: squash · pitcher · pound · stand · root · cell · band · present

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. pound — a weight
  6. stand — to bear
  7. present — the time now
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. root — of a word
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. present — there
  15. cell — in biology
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the sport
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. root — of a plant
  20. cell — a phone
  21. present — a gift
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. root — the cause

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