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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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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 · firm · cold · ground · prune · mug · wind · stand

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. prune — to trim
  3. track — a path
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. ground — a position
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — to rob
  9. wind — moving air
  10. firm — a company
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. cold — not warm
  13. track — to keep track
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stand — to bear
  16. firm — decided
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. track — a song
  20. mug — a cup
  21. ground — the earth
  22. cold — an illness
  23. firm — steady
  24. prune — to trim

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