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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bear · chip · prune · field · wax · game · track

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. field — farmland
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — to eat
  7. track — a path
  8. field — for sport
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wax — to grow
  12. game — a match
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. field — a subject
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. track — to keep track
  22. chip — for betting
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. prune — the fruit

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