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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: rock · swing · prune · track · bear · rest · net · bound

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bound — certain
  4. rest — what's left
  5. track — a path
  6. net — after costs
  7. swing — in golf
  8. net — for catching
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rock — a stone
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rest — what's left
  14. net — in sport
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. rest — a break
  17. bound — tied together
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. prune — to trim
  20. track — a song
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. rock — music
  23. bear — the animal
  24. swing — music

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