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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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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: wake · scale · stick · bound · degree · rest · pop · pound

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — tied together
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pound — a weight
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. degree — an amount
  11. pop — music
  12. bound — certain
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pop — to visit
  15. degree — from a university
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. degree — temperature
  19. scale — in music
  20. rest — what's left
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pop — soda
  24. wake — before a funeral

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