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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: rash · nail · toast · tube · row · season · wound · pound

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. tube — a container
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. row — a line
  5. toast — bread
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. season — of the year
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pound — a weight
  11. season — in sport
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rash — a series
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. tube — the underground
  17. wound — an injury
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. rash — hasty
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. row — to paddle
  24. nail — on a finger

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