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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: pound · prune · march · fork · wake · squash · band · swing

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. swing — in golf
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. fork — in a road
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. squash — the sport
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. march — music
  16. band — a ring
  17. prune — to trim
  18. march — the month
  19. wake — a trail
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. prune — to trim
  23. band — a music group
  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