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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: track · bark · season · saw · tube · racket · bound · pound

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. season — in sport
  4. bound — obliged
  5. tube — a container
  6. track — a path
  7. pound — a weight
  8. saw — the tool
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — to shout
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. season — of the year
  18. track — a song
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bound — certain
  22. track — to keep track
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. season — to add flavour

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