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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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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. club — for golf
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. club — a group
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. prune — to trim
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. season — of the year
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bank — for money
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. season — in sport
  18. club — for dancing
  19. row — a line
  20. bank — of a river
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bank — for money
  24. safe — out of danger

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