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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: foot · tube · squash · pound · present · clip

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. tube — a container
  4. squash — the sport
  5. pound — a weight
  6. tube — the underground
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. clip — a video
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. present — a gift
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. clip — for paper
  17. present — there
  18. clip — to cut

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