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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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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 · prune · pass · scale · straw · calf · cabinet · last

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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. pass — a permit
  2. scale — size or range
  3. last — final
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. last — to go on
  16. season — in sport
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. scale — in music
  19. last — finally
  20. season — of the year
  21. prune — to trim
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. straw — dry grass
  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