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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 116 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
468
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: game · prune · season · content · stand · bear · cold · bank

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. content — happy
  4. stand — to bear
  5. prune — to trim
  6. season — of the year
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bank — for money
  11. content — the amount
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. game — wild animals
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bank — for money
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — not warm
  22. game — a match
  23. prune — to trim
  24. season — in sport

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