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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.

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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 · current · roll · wind · wake · swing · track · race

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. race — the arms race
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. track — a song
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. race — a contest
  8. swing — in golf
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. track — a path
  12. wake — a trail
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — of water
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. wind — moving air
  19. roll — a list
  20. track — to keep track
  21. swing — to play on
  22. race — humankind
  23. swing — music
  24. current — electric

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