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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 116 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: prune · track · bank · land · pound · saw · scale · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bank — for money
  3. saw — the tool
  4. track — a path
  5. bank — for money
  6. land — ground
  7. prune — to trim
  8. track — to keep track
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. prune — to trim
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bank — of a river
  15. track — a song
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. land — a country
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. land — to come down
  24. scale — size or range

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