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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 · wind · root · key · lash · bore · mouse · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wind — moving air
  5. prune — to trim
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. key — for a lock
  11. pound — a weight
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bore — to drill
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. key — in music
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. key — the most important part
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. root — the cause
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bore — to tire
  24. root — of a word

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