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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: fork · field · prune · bound · cap · last · bay · ground

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. prune — to trim
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. last — to go on
  6. bound — tied together
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. cap — a hat
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. ground — the earth
  13. last — finally
  14. prune — to trim
  15. field — for sport
  16. last — final
  17. cap — a lid
  18. field — farmland
  19. ground — a position
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. fork — in a road
  22. cap — of ice
  23. field — a subject
  24. bound — certain

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