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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: pound · plane · rash · pit · shower · perch · swing · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pit — in a race
  3. rash — hasty
  4. track — a path
  5. shower — rain
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. rash — a series
  9. pit — a hole
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. plane — a tool
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pound — a weight
  17. shower — to wash
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. swing — in golf
  20. track — a song
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pound — for dogs

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