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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: craft · pound · pitcher · can · wind · fork · prune · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. craft — a skill
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. can — a tin
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pound — a weight
  9. prune — to trim
  10. can — to be able to
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. can — a tin
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. craft — boats
  23. wound — an injury
  24. fork — in a road

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