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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wound — an injury
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. wake — a trail
  17. prune — to trim
  18. row — a line
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. prune — to trim

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