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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: saw · pound · prune · kid · tube · current · bore · row

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. tube — the underground
  2. pound — a weight
  3. prune — to trim
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. tube — a container
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. current — electric
  10. saw — the tool
  11. current — happening now
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. saw — the tool
  14. prune — to trim
  15. current — of water
  16. bore — to drill
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. bore — to tire
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. row — a line
  21. kid — child
  22. row — to paddle
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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