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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: stand · pitcher · ground · wake · pound · club · trunk · pop

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. ground — a position
  3. pop — soda
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pop — music
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. club — for golf
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stand — to bear
  15. pound — a weight
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. wake — a trail
  18. club — a group
  19. pop — to visit
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. club — for dancing
  24. stand — for spectators

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