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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: stem · lean · bore · kid · rash · pound · band · key

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. lean — thin
  3. rash — a series
  4. pound — a weight
  5. lean — to bend
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. stem — to come from
  8. band — a music group
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bore — to drill
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. key — in music
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bore — to tire
  20. key — for a lock
  21. band — a ring
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bore — gave birth

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