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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: pop · march · pass · board · degree · cap · wound · prune

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pass — a permit
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cap — a hat
  6. degree — from a university
  7. prune — to trim
  8. board — a committee
  9. degree — temperature
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. march — the month
  12. cap — of ice
  13. degree — an amount
  14. march — music
  15. cap — a lid
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — to get on
  18. march — the month
  19. pop — music
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — to visit
  24. prune — to trim

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