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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: pound · cue · field · rock · court · bear · prune · bass

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. field — farmland
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bass — the fish
  5. court — of a king
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. field — for sport
  12. cue — a hint
  13. pound — a weight
  14. field — a subject
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. court — for sport
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rock — a stone
  19. court — of law
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bass — low music
  23. prune — the fruit
  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