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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: fan · cue · wake · pop · bore · prune · field · pitch

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pop — music
  3. pitch — completely
  4. field — for sport
  5. wake — a trail
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bore — to tire
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pop — to visit
  12. field — a subject
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a hint
  16. field — farmland
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bore — to drill
  21. pop — soda
  22. cue — a signal
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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