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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: pound · can · wake · deal · cell · mouse · straw · ball

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. ball — a dance
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. can — a tin
  10. wake — a trail
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. pound — a weight
  13. ball — a great time
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. deal — to handle
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. can — a tin
  24. mouse — the animal

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