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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: track · tear · face · calf · prune · ball · rash · stock

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. tear — from crying
  4. prune — to trim
  5. track — to keep track
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. ball — a great time
  8. track — a path
  9. tear — from crying
  10. face — part of the head
  11. track — a song
  12. tear — to rip
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. stock — shares
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. face — to point toward
  18. rash — a series
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. prune — to trim
  21. stock — goods
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. face — to confront

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