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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: bound · object · pitcher · season · march · prune · pound · spring

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. season — in sport
  3. prune — to trim
  4. object — an aim
  5. bound — obliged
  6. spring — a coil
  7. march — the month
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bound — tied together
  12. object — a thing
  13. march — music
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. spring — the season
  16. season — of the year
  17. bound — certain
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. object — to protest
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. spring — of water
  23. march — the month
  24. pitcher — a jug

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