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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: cue · vault · wake · track · pound · rash · shower · wound

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. cue — a signal
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pound — a weight
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cue — a hint
  14. track — a path
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. cue — for pool
  20. vault — a safe
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. rash — a series
  24. wake — a trail

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