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

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. last — final
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a song
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. track — a path
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. object — a thing
  11. bound — tied together
  12. last — to go on
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. last — finally
  20. bound — obliged
  21. object — an aim
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bound — certain
  24. pound — a weight

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