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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: pound · lean · bark · prune · fall · bay · present · nail

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. present — a gift
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pound — a weight
  8. lean — thin
  9. present — the time now
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. prune — to trim
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. fall — the season
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. present — there
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bark — to shout
  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