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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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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: stock · prune · spring · lie · pass · wind · current · pound

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pass — a permit
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. stock — shares
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pound — a weight
  10. stock — goods
  11. wind — moving air
  12. spring — a coil
  13. lie — to recline
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. current — of water
  19. wind — moving air
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. current — electric
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. current — happening now

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