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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: bank · track · rash · band · ground · prune · chest · cell

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. track — a song
  3. bank — of a river
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cell — a phone
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chest — of your body
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bank — for money
  11. rash — a series
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bank — for money
  14. cell — in biology
  15. band — a ring
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rash — hasty
  18. band — a music group
  19. ground — a position
  20. track — a path
  21. ground — crushed
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chest — a box

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