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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 · fan · march · leaves · prune · mug · mark · snap

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. mug — a cup
  3. march — the month
  4. mark — a trace
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. pop — music
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mug — a face
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mug — to rob
  12. pop — to visit
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mark — a grade
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. pop — soda
  23. snap — to click
  24. leaves — lets stay

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