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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. rock — a stone
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pound — a weight
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. track — a path
  10. wound — an injury
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a song
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. rock — music
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. wound — an injury

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