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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 116 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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. snap — to click
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wake — a trail
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. object — to protest
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. track — a path
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. object — an aim
  16. track — a song
  17. tube — the underground
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. rush — hurry
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. object — a thing
  23. pound — a weight
  24. tube — a container

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