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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: mark · ground · prune · fine · pop · nail · pound · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — high quality
  5. pop — music
  6. ground — a position
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mark — a grade
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. mark — a trace
  13. pop — soda
  14. fine — all right
  15. pound — a weight
  16. ground — crushed
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. prune — to trim
  19. tear — to rip
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pop — to visit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pound — to hit hard

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