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

Word bank: present · kid · prune · pit · rush · trunk · spring · pound

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — hurry
  3. present — the time now
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. pound — a weight
  8. spring — a coil
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. present — there
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pit — a hole
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. spring — of water
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. present — a gift
  20. kid — to tease
  21. prune — to trim
  22. spring — the season
  23. pit — in a race
  24. trunk — of a car

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