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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: race · pit · season · bound · charge · pop · prune · field

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. prune — to trim
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bound — tied together
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pit — in a race
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. field — for sport
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. charge — a price
  15. season — of the year
  16. bound — certain
  17. field — farmland
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bound — obliged
  22. charge — in control
  23. race — the arms race
  24. field — a subject

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