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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: rule · march · cell · mine · prune · racket · date · pound

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. march — the month
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — government
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. march — the month
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. date — the fruit
  17. march — music
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. prune — to trim
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. prune — to trim
  24. racket — a loud noise

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