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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: racket · season · land · march · bank · prune · date · content

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. march — the month
  4. content — happy
  5. march — the month
  6. date — the fruit
  7. content — the amount
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. land — ground
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bank — for money
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. season — in sport
  17. bank — of a river
  18. march — music
  19. season — of the year
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bank — for money
  24. prune — to trim

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