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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: bay · mate · prune · track · scale · wake · pound · key

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. key — in music
  3. wake — a trail
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — for a lock
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. track — a path
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. track — a song
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — a friend
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. scale — in music
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. track — to keep track
  24. scale — size or range

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