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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: bore · prune · mug · present · wake · track · date · stem

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. date — the fruit
  3. present — the time now
  4. mug — to rob
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. track — to keep track
  7. present — a gift
  8. mug — a face
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. bore — to tire
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. track — a song
  17. stem — to come from
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. mug — a cup
  20. present — there
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to drill
  23. prune — to trim
  24. stem — a stem cell

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