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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: mine · march · bore · firm · field · toast · prune · pit

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. march — the month
  4. field — farmland
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. field — a subject
  8. march — the month
  9. prune — to trim
  10. march — music
  11. bore — to tire
  12. firm — decided
  13. bore — to drill
  14. toast — bread
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pit — in a race
  17. field — for sport
  18. prune — to trim
  19. firm — a company
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. firm — steady
  24. mine — an explosive

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