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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 · field · hide · toast · date · shower · bound · prune

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bound — certain
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. march — music
  5. date — the fruit
  6. field — farmland
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. field — for sport
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bound — obliged
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. shower — to wash
  15. field — a subject
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. shower — rain
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. prune — to trim
  21. march — the month
  22. bound — tied together
  23. toast — bread
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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