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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: prune · fork · land · board · track · dip · lash · mine

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. track — to keep track
  3. board — a committee
  4. fork — in a road
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. land — to come down
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. dip — to sink
  10. land — a country
  11. prune — to trim
  12. board — to get on
  13. track — a path
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. mine — for digging
  17. land — ground
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. track — a song
  24. mine — belonging to me

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