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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: pound · root · spring · prune · degree · bore · stand · bay

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bore — to tire
  5. root — of a plant
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. root — of a word
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pound — a weight
  11. degree — temperature
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. spring — the season
  15. prune — to trim
  16. spring — a coil
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. root — the cause
  20. degree — an amount
  21. spring — of water
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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