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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 · track · sharp · tube · kid · rock · perch · present

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. rock — music
  3. track — a song
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pound — a weight
  8. present — there
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. present — the time now
  11. kid — child
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. tube — a container
  15. track — to keep track
  16. rock — a stone
  17. perch — the fish
  18. present — a gift
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. track — a path
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. tube — the underground

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