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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 120 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: craft · snap · track · cue · rush · band · ground · prune

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. ground — a position
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cue — a hint
  5. craft — a skill
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rush — hurry
  8. craft — boats
  9. band — a ring
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. track — a path
  16. cue — for pool
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. ground — the earth
  22. band — a music group
  23. snap — to click
  24. prune — the fruit

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