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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. tear — to rip
  3. net — after costs
  4. tear — from crying
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. club — for golf
  7. track — to keep track
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. net — for catching
  11. tear — from crying
  12. track — a path
  13. file — a line of people
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. net — in sport
  16. file — a tool
  17. track — a song
  18. mark — a trace
  19. prune — to trim
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. club — a group
  22. file — a document
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. club — for dancing

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