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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 120 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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pop — to visit
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. net — for catching
  7. row — to paddle
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bound — tied together
  10. net — after costs
  11. bound — obliged
  12. prune — to trim
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bound — certain
  15. stand — to bear
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — soda
  18. row — a line
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. pitch — completely
  22. branch — a division
  23. prune — to trim
  24. net — in sport

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