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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: pound · mouse · track · fall · spring · prune · pass · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. spring — the season
  3. track — a song
  4. fall — the season
  5. pass — a permit
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. track — to keep track
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. row — to paddle
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. pound — a weight
  15. prune — to trim
  16. spring — of water
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. fall — to drop
  22. track — a path
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. row — a quarrel

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