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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 120 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: prune · pound · stick · nail · content · kid · bark · key

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. content — the amount
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. key — for a lock
  12. kid — child
  13. pound — a weight
  14. kid — to tease
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. key — in music
  17. prune — to trim
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bark — to shout
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. content — happy
  24. prune — the fruit

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