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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: pass · straw · fan · prune · mug · wake · chest · track

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — to rob
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. chest — a box
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pass — a permit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mug — a cup
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — a trail
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. track — a path
  17. chest — of your body
  18. track — to keep track
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. chest — of your body
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. fan — to cool the air

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