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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 116 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: ground · mark · land · spring · track · kid · pound · charge

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. mark — a grade
  3. charge — in control
  4. track — a path
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — a weight
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. land — ground
  10. ground — the earth
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. ground — crushed
  13. land — a country
  14. spring — of water
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. charge — electricity
  17. land — to come down
  18. spring — a coil
  19. mark — a trace
  20. ground — a position
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. spring — the season
  23. track — a song
  24. charge — a price

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