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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. season — of the year
  3. net — after costs
  4. fork — in a road
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. net — in sport
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. pound — a weight
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. net — for catching
  15. season — in sport
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cold — an illness
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cold — not warm

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