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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: swing · track · prune · ruler · mark · stem · bore · band

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. mark — a grade
  9. track — a path
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. swing — to play on
  13. band — a ring
  14. mark — a trace
  15. track — a song
  16. swing — in golf
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. band — a music group
  19. bore — to drill
  20. track — to keep track
  21. swing — music
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bore — to tire

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