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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: pound · saw · cold · chip · stand · prune · stock · wake

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pound — a weight
  4. prune — to trim
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. cold — not warm
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — to bear
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. wake — a trail
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. chip — to eat
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. chip — for betting
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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