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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: prune · march · fan · pop · patient · cue · cell · season

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cue — a signal
  4. prune — to trim
  5. season — of the year
  6. pop — soda
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cue — for pool
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. season — in sport
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cell — a phone
  17. march — the month
  18. cue — a hint
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — to visit

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