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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: pound · mug · bound · jam · drill · prune · wind · fall

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. mug — a face
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. drill — a practice
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bound — obliged
  12. prune — to trim
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mug — to rob
  18. pound — a weight
  19. wind — moving air
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wind — moving air
  22. drill — army training
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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