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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 124 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: object · pound · sharp · spring · saw · bass · wake · rash

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. rash — a series
  8. object — a thing
  9. bass — the fish
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. object — an aim
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. spring — the season
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. sharp — clever
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bass — low music
  20. pound — a weight
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. object — to protest
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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