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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 116 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: net · bear · stand · spring · pound · drill · prune · straw

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. spring — of water
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. spring — the season
  6. drill — a practice
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. net — for catching
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. net — in sport
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bear — the animal
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. net — after costs
  19. drill — army training
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — to bear
  22. prune — to trim
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. prune — the fruit

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