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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. present — there
  5. last — to go on
  6. present — a gift
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. last — final
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bank — for money
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. last — finally
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. roll — a list
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. season — of the year
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. present — the time now

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