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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: ground · deal · straw · mark · pound · row · content · prune

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pound — a weight
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. row — a line
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. content — happy
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mark — a grade
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. ground — a position
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. deal — to handle
  20. prune — to trim
  21. content — the amount
  22. mark — a trace
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ground — crushed

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