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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: pound · firm · rash · track · file · land · bulb · tube

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. firm — decided
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. track — a path
  6. land — ground
  7. bulb — for light
  8. firm — a company
  9. track — a song
  10. file — a document
  11. track — to keep track
  12. file — a tool
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. file — a line of people
  15. land — to come down
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. rash — a series
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. firm — steady
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. land — a country
  23. bulb — for light
  24. rash — hasty

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