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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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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: key · prune · pound · tear · wound · sharp · kick · can

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. tear — to rip
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. can — a tin
  9. key — in music
  10. prune — to trim
  11. kick — in football
  12. can — to be able to
  13. prune — to trim
  14. tear — from crying
  15. sharp — clever
  16. key — the most important part
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. tear — from crying
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. key — for a lock
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pound — a weight

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