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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: row · swing · track · saw · band · lean · net · prune

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. lean — thin
  3. track — to keep track
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. row — to paddle
  6. net — for catching
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. track — a song
  9. swing — to play on
  10. saw — the tool
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. saw — the tool
  13. track — a path
  14. net — after costs
  15. prune — to trim
  16. swing — music
  17. row — a line
  18. swing — in golf
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. lean — to bend
  21. band — a ring
  22. prune — to trim
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. band — a music group

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