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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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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: bore · wind · hand · pound · staff · mate · pass · prune

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. hand — in cards
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. staff — employees
  7. hand — help
  8. mate — a partner
  9. staff — a stick
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mate — to breed
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bore — to tire
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bore — to drill
  18. staff — employees
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pass — a permit
  24. bore — gave birth

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