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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 116 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: prune · pitcher · land · bore · march · ball · wound · pit

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. land — a country
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. ball — a great time
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. bore — to drill
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pit — in a race
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. march — the month
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. land — ground
  21. pit — a hole
  22. march — music
  23. land — to come down
  24. prune — to trim

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