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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: stick · chest · track · prune · straw · land · board · bore

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. prune — to trim
  3. board — a committee
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. track — a song
  6. land — to come down
  7. bore — to tire
  8. track — a path
  9. chest — of your body
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. land — a country
  14. chest — a box
  15. bore — to drill
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. prune — to trim
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. chest — of your body
  22. board — to get on
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. land — ground

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