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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: net · track · wave · pound · clip · wound · bat · cue

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. track — a path
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — the animal
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. cue — a signal
  9. wound — an injury
  10. track — a song
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. track — to keep track
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — to cut
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. net — for catching
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. cue — for pool
  24. clip — a video

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