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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. key — for a lock
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. prune — to trim
  8. season — in sport
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. key — the most important part
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. prune — to trim
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. key — in music
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — to grow
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. land — a country
  24. trunk — of a car

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