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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: trunk · cell · prune · pitcher · bank · mate · pop · pound

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. pop — to visit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pound — a weight
  11. mate — a partner
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bank — of a river
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. pop — music
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. mate — to breed
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pop — soda

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