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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 120 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: kick · fan · pop · field · prune · suit · row · march

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. prune — to trim
  3. field — for sport
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. row — a line
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. suit — in cards
  10. pop — to visit
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. suit — clothes
  13. kick — in football
  14. row — to paddle
  15. pop — soda
  16. field — farmland
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. suit — to fit
  20. pop — music
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. field — a subject
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. march — the month

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