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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: bulb · stem · track · board · prune · tear · lie · land

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bulb — for light
  4. track — to keep track
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. tear — to rip
  7. track — a path
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stem — to come from
  12. land — a country
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. land — to come down
  15. tear — from crying
  16. land — ground
  17. lie — to recline
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bulb — for light
  20. prune — to trim
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — to get on
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bulb — of a plant

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