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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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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: prune · track · can · tear · patient · band · net · lean

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. prune — to trim
  7. track — a song
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. lean — to bend
  12. track — to keep track
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. prune — to trim
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. track — a path
  19. can — a tin
  20. net — after costs
  21. band — a ring
  22. tear — from crying
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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