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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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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: chair · bank · bowl · kid · pound · prune · wound · board

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. board — a committee
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bank — for money
  17. chair — a leader
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. wound — an injury
  24. kid — child

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