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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 · rush · fine · bulb · prune · kick · perch · last

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bulb — for light
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. fine — high quality
  10. bulb — for light
  11. prune — to trim
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. last — final
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rush — hurry
  24. kick — in football

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