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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 116 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: bound · pitcher · stand · row · file · stick · wind · prune

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bound — certain
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bound — tied together
  13. file — a tool
  14. row — a line
  15. prune — to trim
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. file — a document
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bound — obliged
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wind — to turn a key

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