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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 116 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: track · lean · deal · spring · prune · branch · bowl · bore

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bore — to tire
  3. track — a song
  4. spring — the season
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. deal — to handle
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. lean — thin
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. track — to keep track
  14. lean — to bend
  15. spring — of water
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. branch — a division
  24. spring — a coil

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