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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: ball · stem · pitch · track · pound · prune · mug · fan

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. prune — to trim
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mug — to rob
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. stem — to come from
  10. mug — a cup
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. track — a song
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. mug — a face
  17. ball — a dance
  18. pitch — completely
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. ball — a great time
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. track — a path

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