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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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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 · bound · prune · mark · track · game

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. game — wild animals
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bound — tied together
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. game — a match
  10. mark — a grade
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a path
  14. track — a song
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bound — obliged

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