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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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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: shower · prune · key · pound · mug · snap · fork · cue

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. key — in music
  3. cue — a signal
  4. snap — to click
  5. prune — to trim
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. fork — in a road
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. pound — a weight
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a hint
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — a cup

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