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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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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: bear · content · deal · pound · pop · charge · prune · wind

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. charge — in control
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. prune — to trim
  6. deal — to handle
  7. content — the amount
  8. charge — a price
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — to visit
  12. content — happy
  13. charge — electricity
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pop — music
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wind — moving air

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