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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: kick · pound · band · row · tube · can · track · clip

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. row — a line
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — to paddle
  6. tube — the underground
  7. kick — in football
  8. tube — a container
  9. track — a song
  10. band — a ring
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a path
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. clip — a video
  19. pound — a weight
  20. clip — to cut
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. band — a music group
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. can — to be able to

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