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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. club — for dancing
  3. season — in sport
  4. prune — to trim
  5. club — for golf
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. club — a group
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. season — of the year
  10. bound — obliged
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. tube — the underground
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bound — tied together
  17. mark — a grade
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. tube — a container
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bound — certain
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mark — a trace
  24. tube — in a tire

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