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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: nail · cell · pop · wake · content · bank · pound · track

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pop — to visit
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. cell — in biology
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bank — for money
  11. wake — a trail
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. content — happy
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. track — a path
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bank — for money
  19. pop — soda
  20. track — a song
  21. bank — of a river
  22. cell — a phone
  23. content — the amount
  24. pound — a weight

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