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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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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: rock · wound · pitcher · ground · rash · scale · pound · tube

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. tube — the underground
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. ground — a position
  8. scale — in music
  9. rash — a series
  10. wound — an injury
  11. ground — crushed
  12. scale — size or range
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rock — music
  16. tube — a container
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. rash — hasty
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wound — an injury
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rock — a stone

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