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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: bear · rash · object · staff · pop · mouse · wound · track

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. pop — music
  5. track — a song
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. staff — a stick
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wound — an injury
  11. object — an aim
  12. staff — employees
  13. object — to protest
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pop — soda
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. track — a path
  22. track — to keep track
  23. rash — a series
  24. staff — employees

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