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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 · tube · squash · bark · content · row · track · date

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. track — a path
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bark — to shout
  6. content — the amount
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pound — a weight
  9. squash — the sport
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. date — the fruit
  13. row — to paddle
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. squash — to crush
  17. content — happy
  18. tube — a container
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. row — a line
  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