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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tube · pound · net · prune · snap · field · march · rock

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. prune — to trim
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. tube — the underground
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. net — for catching
  8. march — the month
  9. pound — a weight
  10. rock — music
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. net — after costs
  15. tube — a container
  16. snap — to click
  17. rock — a stone
  18. field — a subject
  19. prune — to trim
  20. march — music
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. march — the month
  23. net — in sport
  24. pound — to hit hard

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