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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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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: fall · ground · stick · cell · pop · fine · pound · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  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 — the fruit
  2. ground — the earth
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fall — the season
  7. fine — high quality
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. cell — in biology
  10. ground — a position
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pop — soda
  14. ground — crushed
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fine — all right
  17. cell — a phone
  18. pop — to visit
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pop — music
  23. cell — in a prison
  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