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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 · kick · club · fork · wake · track

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — a trail
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. pound — a weight
  5. club — for dancing
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. track — a path
  9. club — a group
  10. track — to keep track
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. club — for golf
  13. track — a song
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. fork — in a road
  17. kick — in football
  18. pound — to hit hard

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