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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: net · lean · prune · stick · track · rule · mug · straw

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. rule — government
  6. mug — a face
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mug — to rob
  10. track — to keep track
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lean — to bend
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. prune — to trim
  18. rule — a law
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. prune — to trim
  22. track — a song
  23. net — in sport
  24. stick — to attach or keep 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