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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: wind · season · prune · sharp · track · tube · present · fine

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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. season — of the year
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — high quality
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. season — in sport
  8. track — a path
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — a gift
  11. fine — all right
  12. track — a song
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. sharp — clever
  17. prune — to trim
  18. track — to keep track
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. tube — the underground
  21. present — there
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. sharp — exactly
  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