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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: last · lie · prune · track · board · fan · ball · land

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. track — to keep track
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a dance
  8. land — to come down
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. prune — to trim
  15. board — a committee
  16. track — a song
  17. lie — to recline
  18. land — a country
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. board — to get on
  21. land — ground
  22. last — final
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fan — to cool the air

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