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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: stick · scale · wind · prune · march · track · ball · lie

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. lie — to recline
  3. march — music
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. scale — size or range
  6. track — to keep track
  7. ball — a great time
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. track — a song
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. prune — to trim
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. march — the month
  18. scale — in music
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. march — the month
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. track — a path
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wind — to turn a key

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