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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: firm · foot · spring · net · bank · prune · lash · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. firm — steady
  3. spring — the season
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. spring — a coil
  7. net — in sport
  8. track — a song
  9. net — after costs
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. firm — decided
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bank — for money
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. spring — of water
  17. track — a path
  18. firm — a company
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. net — for catching
  21. bank — of a river
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bank — for money
  24. foot — a measure

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