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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: pound · root · prune · cold · band · last · lie · mug

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. mug — a cup
  3. last — final
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. band — a music group
  8. cold — not warm
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. band — a ring
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — the cause
  14. mug — a face
  15. root — of a plant
  16. last — to go on
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mug — to rob
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. lie — to recline
  24. last — finally

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