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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: band · land · mouse · scale · chip · bear · pound · pitcher

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. band — a ring
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bear — the animal
  8. band — a music group
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. land — to come down
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. land — ground
  15. chip — to eat
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bear — to put up with

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