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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 116 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: staff · nail · perch · pound · mark · racket · track · tube

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. track — a path
  4. staff — a stick
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pound — a weight
  10. track — to keep track
  11. mark — a grade
  12. perch — the fish
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. staff — employees
  17. tube — a container
  18. track — a song
  19. mark — a trace
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. tube — the underground
  24. pound — to hit hard

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