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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. season — of the year
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bank — of a river
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bank — for money
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. cold — an illness
  16. rest — what's left
  17. prune — to trim
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wind — moving air
  20. season — in sport
  21. rest — a break
  22. cold — not warm
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bank — for money

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