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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
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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: fork · prune · ball · content · fall · track · tube · ground

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. ball — a dance
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. ground — the earth
  6. fall — to drop
  7. ground — crushed
  8. fall — to drop
  9. ball — a great time
  10. content — happy
  11. tube — a container
  12. fork — in a road
  13. track — a song
  14. content — the amount
  15. ground — a position
  16. track — a path
  17. tube — the underground
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. fall — the season

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