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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: prune · pitcher · mouse · march · pitch · present · bound · wake

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. march — the month
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bound — tied together
  6. march — the month
  7. bound — certain
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. wake — a trail
  10. present — a gift
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. present — there
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. present — the time now
  18. pitch — completely
  19. bound — obliged
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. march — music
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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