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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: wound · last · cue · present · fine · pound · mark · prune

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cue — a signal
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fine — all right
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. present — a gift
  17. pound — a weight
  18. last — to go on
  19. present — the time now
  20. wound — an injury
  21. present — there
  22. mark — a grade
  23. mark — a trace
  24. cue — a hint

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