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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 116 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. season — of the year
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mate — a partner
  7. season — in sport
  8. mate — to breed
  9. clip — for paper
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. clip — a video
  14. mate — a friend
  15. rash — a series
  16. prune — to trim
  17. clip — to cut
  18. wake — a trail
  19. squash — the sport
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. squash — to crush

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