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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: pitch · pound · degree · nail · object · wake · prune · deal

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pound — a weight
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. degree — from a university
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pitch — completely
  12. object — a thing
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. object — an aim
  15. object — to protest
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. degree — temperature
  18. wake — a trail
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. degree — an amount
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wake — before a funeral

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