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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: spring · last · foot · prune · march · plane · pitch · bound

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. march — the month
  3. spring — a coil
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. foot — a measure
  7. plane — a tool
  8. spring — of water
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bound — tied together
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. prune — to trim
  15. last — to go on
  16. prune — to trim
  17. pitch — completely
  18. march — music
  19. last — final
  20. last — finally
  21. march — the month
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. spring — the season
  24. pitch — a sports field

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