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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: prune · squash · pitcher · content · saw · bay · pound · band

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. saw — the tool
  10. prune — to trim
  11. band — a music group
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. saw — the tool
  15. band — a ring
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. content — the amount
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. prune — to trim
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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