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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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468
Word bank
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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. season — in sport
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. tube — the underground
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. fine — all right
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. fine — high quality
  22. season — of the year
  23. date — the fruit
  24. cabinet — ministers

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