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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: fine · march · cabinet · prune · season · club · land · rest

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. season — of the year
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — a group
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. land — ground
  9. season — in sport
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. rest — a break
  12. prune — to trim
  13. land — a country
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. march — the month
  19. fine — high quality
  20. land — to come down
  21. rest — what's left
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. club — for dancing

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