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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 · tube · fine · nail · court · row · pass · pound

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. tube — a container
  3. fine — all right
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. court — of law
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. fine — high quality
  11. row — a line
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. tube — the underground
  16. court — of a king
  17. row — to paddle
  18. court — for sport
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. prune — to trim
  22. pass — a permit
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. tube — in a tire

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