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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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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: tear · pound · bass · saw · prune · track · rock · racket

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. track — to keep track
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. track — a song
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. rock — a stone
  7. prune — to trim
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bass — low music
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bass — the fish
  15. tear — to rip
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pound — a weight
  18. rock — music
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. saw — the tool
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. track — a path

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