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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · season · stand · prune · date · bowl · ball · straw

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. season — of the year
  5. stand — to bear
  6. chest — a box
  7. date — the fruit
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. prune — to trim
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. season — in sport
  16. ball — a dance
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. prune — to trim
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. ball — a great time
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bowl — a football final

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