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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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. chair — to sit on
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. shower — rain
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. saw — the tool
  8. band — a music group
  9. fine — high quality
  10. chair — a leader
  11. prune — to trim
  12. can — a tin
  13. season — of the year
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. saw — the tool
  18. season — in sport
  19. can — a tin
  20. fine — all right
  21. shower — to wash
  22. band — a ring
  23. can — to be able to
  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