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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: board · wind · capital · mouse · track · pop · pound · net

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pop — soda
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. board — a committee
  7. capital — a city
  8. track — a song
  9. pound — a weight
  10. net — for catching
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. pop — music
  13. track — to keep track
  14. net — in sport
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pop — to visit
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. board — to get on
  21. capital — money
  22. track — a path
  23. net — after costs
  24. mouse — the animal

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