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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: track · clip · pound · mate · perch · coach · fan · roll

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. mate — a friend
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mate — to breed
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. perch — the fish
  11. roll — a list
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. roll — a cake
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. clip — a video
  16. pound — a weight
  17. track — a path
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. track — a song
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

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