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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: field · pound · prune · game · bound · chip · deal · wax

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. chip — for betting
  6. deal — to handle
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bound — obliged
  9. field — for sport
  10. wax — to grow
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bound — tied together
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. prune — to trim
  16. game — a match
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chip — to eat
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. field — a subject
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bound — certain
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. field — farmland

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