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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 120 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: hide · staff · tube · prune · bark · foot · wind · pound

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pound — a weight
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wind — moving air
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. wind — moving air
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. staff — a stick
  13. prune — to trim
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bark — to shout
  21. staff — employees
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. tube — a container
  24. staff — employees

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