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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: bear · firm · cell · pass · pitcher · cold · track · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. track — to keep track
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cold — an illness
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. firm — steady
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. track — a song
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. firm — a company
  15. pass — a permit
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — not warm
  21. firm — decided
  22. prune — to trim
  23. track — a path
  24. bear — the animal

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