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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 120 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. clip — a video
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. prune — to trim
  6. staff — a stick
  7. key — the most important part
  8. staff — employees
  9. bound — tied together
  10. key — for a lock
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bound — obliged
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. clip — for paper
  17. vault — a safe
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bound — certain
  20. clip — to cut
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. key — in music
  23. pound — a weight
  24. staff — employees

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