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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: lean · land · prune · pound · sharp · deal · content · pitcher

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. content — the amount
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. lean — to bend
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. land — ground
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. land — a country
  14. content — happy
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. prune — to trim
  21. lean — thin
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. prune — to trim

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