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

Word bank: pound · tube · wake · fall · club · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. fall — the season
  4. club — for dancing
  5. wake — a trail
  6. club — a group
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. club — for golf
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. fall — to drop
  16. tube — a container
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. 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