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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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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: season · march · net · prune · wake · tube · jam · rest

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. season — in sport
  6. wake — a trail
  7. prune — to trim
  8. tube — the underground
  9. season — of the year
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. march — music
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. march — the month
  15. net — after costs
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. rest — what's left
  19. march — the month
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. tube — a container

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