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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spring · prune · cue · calf · mine · face · pit · season

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. season — in sport
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pit — a hole
  6. cue — a hint
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mine — for digging
  10. spring — a coil
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to confront
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cue — for pool
  15. spring — the season
  16. face — to point toward
  17. spring — of water
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pit — in a race
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. cue — a signal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. season — of the year

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