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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: suit · rash · bound · mate · field · content · game · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bound — obliged
  4. field — farmland
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. mate — a friend
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bound — tied together
  10. field — for sport
  11. content — happy
  12. suit — to fit
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. game — wild animals
  15. mate — to breed
  16. field — a subject
  17. game — a match
  18. rash — a series
  19. prune — to trim
  20. suit — in cards
  21. mate — a partner
  22. content — the amount
  23. suit — clothes
  24. bound — certain

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