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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pound · wave · tube · track · race · wound · board · pitcher

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pound — a weight
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. race — the arms race
  11. track — a path
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. board — to get on
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — humankind
  18. tube — the underground
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. track — a song
  21. board — a committee
  22. tube — a container
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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