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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.

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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: drill · wound · row · track · staff · firm · prune · present

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. prune — to trim
  3. staff — a stick
  4. drill — a practice
  5. present — the time now
  6. row — a line
  7. wound — an injury
  8. firm — steady
  9. present — a gift
  10. track — to keep track
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. staff — employees
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — the tool
  15. firm — a company
  16. row — to paddle
  17. staff — employees
  18. firm — decided
  19. track — a song
  20. present — there
  21. wound — an injury
  22. track — a path
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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