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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: march · track · last · press · perch · prune · pop · wave

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. track — a path
  3. press — newspapers
  4. march — the month
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — music
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. track — a song
  11. perch — the fish
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. press — a publisher
  16. march — the month
  17. prune — to trim
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. last — finally
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. march — music
  23. track — to keep track
  24. press — to push

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