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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: object · ball · staff · pound · mug · club · spring · prune

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. spring — a coil
  3. prune — to trim
  4. object — a thing
  5. mug — to rob
  6. spring — the season
  7. club — for golf
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. object — an aim
  11. club — for dancing
  12. mug — a cup
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. mug — a face
  15. staff — a stick
  16. pound — a weight
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a dance
  19. staff — employees
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. spring — of water
  22. club — a group
  23. staff — employees
  24. prune — the fruit

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