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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 · band · root · charge · pitch · cell · squash · mine

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. squash — to crush
  3. root — of a plant
  4. cell — a phone
  5. band — a music group
  6. pound — a weight
  7. cell — in biology
  8. charge — in control
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. charge — electricity
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. root — the cause
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. squash — the sport
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. charge — a price
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pitch — completely
  23. root — of a word
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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