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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 120 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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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: club · tube · pound · row · stand · current · mark · face

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. tube — the underground
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. face — part of the head
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. row — a line
  10. face — to point toward
  11. tube — a container
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. stand — to bear
  15. mark — a trace
  16. current — of water
  17. club — for golf
  18. current — happening now
  19. mark — a grade
  20. club — a group
  21. row — to paddle
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. current — electric
  24. face — to confront

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