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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: prune · cabinet · shower · wound · pound · bear · stick · stock

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bear — the animal
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — shares
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. shower — to wash
  7. pound — a weight
  8. stock — goods
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. prune — to trim
  12. shower — rain
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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