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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 116 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: mine · craft · fall · prune · tear · wake · bank · track

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. craft — boats
  3. bank — for money
  4. track — a path
  5. track — to keep track
  6. tear — to rip
  7. fall — to drop
  8. track — a song
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. fall — the season
  11. bank — for money
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bank — of a river
  14. mine — for digging
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wake — a trail
  23. fall — to drop
  24. craft — a skill

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