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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: prune · pitch · squash · row · bore · date · season · track

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. track — a song
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. squash — the sport
  5. prune — to trim
  6. date — the fruit
  7. pitch — completely
  8. season — in sport
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. row — to paddle
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. prune — to trim
  16. row — a line
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. track — a path
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. squash — to crush
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bore — to tire
  23. season — of the year
  24. pitch — a sports field

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