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

Word bank: track · shower · mark · net · bound · prune

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. shower — to wash
  4. prune — to trim
  5. shower — rain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. prune — to trim
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bound — tied together
  10. net — in sport
  11. track — a path
  12. bound — certain
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a grade
  17. track — to keep track
  18. mark — a trace

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