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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: kid · snap · saw · band · bark · pound · firm · prune

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. band — a ring
  8. prune — to trim
  9. saw — the tool
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. saw — the tool
  13. firm — steady
  14. snap — to click
  15. pound — a weight
  16. firm — decided
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. bark — to shout
  19. kid — child
  20. prune — to trim
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. band — a music group

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