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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 116 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: vault · mug · row · content · march · prune · pop · season

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. prune — the fruit
  2. content — the amount
  3. season — in sport
  4. row — a line
  5. pop — to visit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. vault — a safe
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. prune — to trim
  10. row — to paddle
  11. march — music
  12. season — of the year
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. march — the month
  15. mug — to rob
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — music
  19. mug — a cup
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mug — a face
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — happy
  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