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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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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: pound · pit · face · bear · mouse · stock · prune · wound

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  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. stock — a soup base
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. stock — shares
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. wound — an injury
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pit — in a race
  13. face — to confront
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. face — part of the head
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. stock — goods
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pound — a weight
  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