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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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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 · court · fall · mark · mate · perch · date · pound

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. court — for sport
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pound — a weight
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a partner
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mark — a grade
  13. court — of a king
  14. fall — the season
  15. perch — the fish
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. date — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mate — a friend
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. court — of law
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pound — to hit hard

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