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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: ruler · mine · pass · track · prune · pop · shower · wound

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. prune — to trim
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pop — soda
  6. mine — for digging
  7. track — a song
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. pop — to visit
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. shower — to wash
  13. wound — an injury
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pop — music
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. wound — an injury
  18. track — to keep track
  19. prune — to trim
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — a permit
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. track — a path
  24. prune — the fruit

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