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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: game · pound · track · leaves · wake · perch · plane · tube

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. track — a song
  5. game — a match
  6. tube — a container
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wake — a trail
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. tube — the underground
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. plane — a tool
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. pound — a weight
  21. track — to keep track
  22. perch — the fish
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. track — a path

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