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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 120 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: rush · chair · lash · deal · bound · pound · wind · prune

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  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. lash — to lash out
  2. bound — certain
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pound — a weight
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bound — obliged
  9. rush — hurry
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. wind — moving air
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bound — tied together
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — a leader
  23. wind — moving air
  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