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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: cue · ground · wound · chest · season · leaves · prune · stand

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. season — of the year
  3. ground — a position
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — the earth
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. cue — for pool
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — to bear
  16. chest — of your body
  17. prune — to trim
  18. season — in sport
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — a signal
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. wound — an injury
  24. chest — a box

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