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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: file · club · prune · shower · stick · board · bear · pound

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. board — a committee
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. file — a tool
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — to trim
  8. board — to get on
  9. club — a group
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. pound — a weight
  13. shower — rain
  14. club — for golf
  15. file — a document
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. club — for dancing
  19. file — a line of people
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. bear — the animal
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bear — the animal

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