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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: nail · firm · prune · pop · spell · tear · track · field

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. field — for sport
  4. spell — a short time
  5. firm — decided
  6. field — farmland
  7. track — a song
  8. prune — to trim
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. prune — to trim
  14. firm — a company
  15. tear — from crying
  16. track — a path
  17. track — to keep track
  18. field — a subject
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. spell — magic
  21. firm — steady
  22. tear — to rip
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. spell — letters

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