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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: prune · fan · track · hand · dip · tube · drill · mark

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. drill — a practice
  6. hand — help
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. track — a song
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. dip — to sink
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. prune — to trim
  15. track — to keep track
  16. tube — a container
  17. mark — a trace
  18. track — a path
  19. mark — a grade
  20. drill — the tool
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. drill — army training
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. fan — to cool the air

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