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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · content · track · pound · bear · prune · cue · band

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. game — wild animals
  6. content — the amount
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a ring
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — for pool
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. prune — to trim
  17. track — a song
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. track — a path
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. track — to keep track
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bear — the animal

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