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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: pound · mark · prune · net · staff · mate · row · tear

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. mate — to breed
  4. net — in sport
  5. mate — a partner
  6. net — for catching
  7. staff — a stick
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — to paddle
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. staff — employees
  12. net — after costs
  13. row — a line
  14. mark — a grade
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. mark — a trace
  20. staff — employees
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pound — a weight

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