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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: bowl · ground · pass · track · mine · mark · pound · bulb

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. track — a song
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. pass — a permit
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. ground — a position
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. track — a path
  23. bulb — for light
  24. track — to keep track

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