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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · net · bore · stick · object · fan · hand · prune

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. object — to protest
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bore — to drill
  8. object — an aim
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — a weight
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. net — for catching
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. hand — in cards
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. object — a thing
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. prune — to trim
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pound — for dogs

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