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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: ground · prune · key · patient · band · deal · pound · face

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. ground — the earth
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. face — to confront
  8. key — in music
  9. deal — to handle
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. key — the most important part
  14. key — for a lock
  15. pound — a weight
  16. ground — a position
  17. band — a music group
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. prune — to trim
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. band — a ring
  22. ground — crushed
  23. face — to point toward
  24. deal — a big deal

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