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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: ground · prune · present · chest · leaves · season · pound · rest

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. prune — to trim
  4. rest — a break
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. chest — of your body
  7. ground — crushed
  8. chest — of your body
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. pound — a weight
  11. ground — the earth
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rest — what's left
  14. ground — a position
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. present — a gift
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. present — there
  22. chest — a box
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — of the year

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