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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 120 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 · chair · land · season · patient · pop · mug · pit

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. pop — to visit
  3. land — to come down
  4. pit — a hole
  5. season — in sport
  6. mug — a cup
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. season — of the year
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pop — music
  13. chair — a leader
  14. mug — to rob
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. land — a country
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. mug — a face
  19. land — ground
  20. pop — soda
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. pit — in a race
  24. patient — a sick person

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