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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: present · key · roll · bore · prune · season · tube · chair

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bore — to tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. roll — a list
  7. present — the time now
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. season — of the year
  10. present — there
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bore — to drill
  13. key — for a lock
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. present — a gift
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. key — in music
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. roll — a cake
  23. season — in sport
  24. key — the most important part

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