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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bound · racket · deal · track · face · prune · row · bear

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bound — tied together
  5. track — to keep track
  6. prune — to trim
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bear — the animal
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bound — obliged
  15. track — a song
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bear — the animal
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. row — a line
  20. bound — certain
  21. face — to point toward
  22. track — a path
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. row — to paddle

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