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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
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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: track · squash · pound · perch · face · game · band · wake

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. squash — the sport
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. face — part of the head
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. face — to point toward
  7. track — a song
  8. perch — the fish
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. game — wild animals
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. face — to confront
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a ring
  18. pound — a weight
  19. game — a match
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. squash — to crush

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