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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.

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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: racket · deal · bound · mark · straw · track · last · prune

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. last — to go on
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mark — a trace
  5. deal — to handle
  6. track — a path
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bound — tied together
  9. last — finally
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bound — obliged
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. track — a song
  17. mark — a grade
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. prune — to trim
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. last — final
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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