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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: foot · prune · tube · season · mate · court · craft · last

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. court — of law
  4. mate — a friend
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. craft — a skill
  7. court — of a king
  8. craft — boats
  9. tube — the underground
  10. season — in sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. mate — to breed
  15. foot — a measure
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. last — finally
  18. tube — a container
  19. last — to go on
  20. mate — a partner
  21. court — for sport
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. last — final

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