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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: file · track · prune · band · net · saw · bat · stand

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. prune — to trim
  7. file — a line of people
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. file — a document
  10. stand — to bear
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. saw — the tool
  15. track — a path
  16. bat — the animal
  17. track — a song
  18. band — a ring
  19. saw — the tool
  20. net — in sport
  21. track — to keep track
  22. file — a tool
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — after costs

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