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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 120 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: staff · wake · pound · rest · track · band · swing · drill

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — music
  4. wake — a trail
  5. staff — employees
  6. rest — what's left
  7. drill — army training
  8. track — a path
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. staff — a stick
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. track — a song
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. rest — a break
  18. track — to keep track
  19. staff — employees
  20. drill — a practice
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. swing — in golf
  23. pound — a weight
  24. band — a music group

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