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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. march — the month
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. court — of law
  7. pound — a weight
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. spell — a short time
  10. date — the fruit
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. spell — letters
  13. prune — to trim
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. prune — to trim
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. march — the month
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. march — music
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. spell — magic

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