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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 · object · field · pound · pop · march · mug · date

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. field — for sport
  3. object — to protest
  4. march — the month
  5. object — a thing
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. date — the fruit
  8. pop — music
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mug — to rob
  11. field — a subject
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. march — the month
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pop — soda
  16. mug — a cup
  17. pound — a weight
  18. object — an aim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mug — a face
  21. field — farmland
  22. pop — to visit
  23. march — music
  24. pound — for dogs

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