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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 just a dried plum.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. fall — the season
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bass — the fish
  7. ground — a position
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. row — a line
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. prune — to trim
  14. row — to paddle
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ground — the earth
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ground — crushed
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. deal — to handle
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bass — low music

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