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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 · rule · track · bear · mate · band · shower · foot

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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. mate — a partner
  4. rule — a law
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. track — a song
  7. band — a music group
  8. bear — the animal
  9. shower — rain
  10. track — a path
  11. mate — a friend
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bear — the animal
  14. shower — to wash
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. mate — to breed
  18. rule — government
  19. band — a ring
  20. foot — a measure
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. prune — to trim

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