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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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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: pass · wake · game · row · tube · content · swing · pound

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. row — to paddle
  3. content — the amount
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. row — a line
  7. pass — a permit
  8. tube — the underground
  9. game — a match
  10. content — happy
  11. swing — in golf
  12. game — wild animals
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. pound — a weight
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. swing — to play on
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. tube — a container
  23. wake — a trail
  24. swing — music

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