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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 · drill · date · mouse · pound · stick · prune · cap

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. cap — a hat
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. prune — to trim
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. cap — of ice
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bear — the animal
  15. drill — the tool
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. drill — a practice
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bear — the animal
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. drill — army training

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