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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.

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: present · prune · pass · club · lean · track · bowl · season

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. club — a group
  3. season — of the year
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. lean — to bend
  6. club — for golf
  7. present — a gift
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. club — for dancing
  11. pass — a permit
  12. prune — to trim
  13. present — the time now
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. season — in sport
  16. track — a path
  17. prune — to trim
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. track — a song
  20. lean — thin
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. present — there
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pass — to spend time

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