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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: stick · pound · season · prune · saw · bank · dip · drill

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. season — of the year
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bank — for money
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. season — in sport
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bank — of a river
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pound — a weight
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. drill — army training
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bank — for money
  24. dip — to dunk

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