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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rock — a stone
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. field — farmland
  11. prune — to trim
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. season — in sport
  14. craft — boats
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. field — for sport
  18. rock — music
  19. field — a subject
  20. content — the amount
  21. prune — to trim
  22. craft — a skill
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rock — to move gently

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