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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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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: rash · dip · swing · current · pitcher · track · pound · plane

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. pound — a weight
  3. track — a song
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. current — of water
  7. swing — to play on
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. plane — a tool
  13. swing — music
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. swing — in golf
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. current — happening now
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. rash — a series
  20. track — to keep track
  21. current — electric
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. track — a path

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