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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.

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: band · charge · lean · fork · track · pop · game · kid

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. kid — to tease
  3. pop — to visit
  4. charge — electricity
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pop — soda
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. track — a song
  10. track — a path
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. charge — in control
  13. kid — child
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. lean — to bend
  16. band — a ring
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. charge — a price
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — in a road
  24. band — a music group

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