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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.

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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 · tube · wake · toast · sharp · plane · pound · kid

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. tube — a container
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. kid — to tease
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. tube — the underground
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a path
  16. track — a song
  17. pound — a weight
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. sharp — clever
  21. plane — a tool
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. kid — child

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