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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 · prune · stand · cold · roll · fan · key · fork

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. key — for a lock
  7. pound — a weight
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. prune — to trim
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. key — the most important part
  15. roll — a cake
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. key — in music
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stand — to bear
  23. roll — a list
  24. cold — an illness

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