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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 116 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: stock · bound · prune · deal · track · club · field · mug

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. field — farmland
  3. mug — to rob
  4. bound — tied together
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. field — a subject
  7. club — a group
  8. prune — to trim
  9. stock — goods
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bound — obliged
  14. track — to keep track
  15. field — for sport
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. mug — a face
  19. club — for golf
  20. stock — shares
  21. bound — certain
  22. track — a path
  23. mug — a cup
  24. track — a song

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