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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: pitcher · cabinet · stem · wind · lean · prune · fan · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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 — a path
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. lean — thin
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wind — moving air
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. track — a song
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. track — to keep track
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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