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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bound — tied together
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. file — a document
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. content — happy
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bound — certain
  13. wake — a trail
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bound — obliged
  18. content — the amount

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