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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 116 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: ground · rock · prune · rush · content · wound · band · pound

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. content — the amount
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. rock — music
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. ground — crushed
  10. band — a ring
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. pound — a weight
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. rush — hurry
  15. content — happy
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wound — an injury
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wound — an injury
  20. band — a music group
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rock — a stone

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