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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: bound · cabinet · fork · nail · track · prune · ground · row

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. prune — to trim
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bound — obliged
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bound — tied together
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. row — to paddle
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. track — a path
  16. ground — the earth
  17. track — to keep track
  18. row — a line
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bound — certain
  21. ground — crushed
  22. prune — to trim
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. ground — a position

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