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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: land · ruler · season · cap · tear · prune · track · fork

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. tear — from crying
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. season — in sport
  6. fork — in a road
  7. cap — of ice
  8. track — to keep track
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cap — a lid
  14. season — of the year
  15. cap — a hat
  16. land — to come down
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. prune — to trim
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. prune — to trim
  23. land — a country
  24. ruler — a monarch

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